Sunday 
Story Hour 


LAURA ELLA CRAGIN 





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V 






I 






























SUNDAY STORY HOUR 



































































































“it’s a nice day” 


« 










Sunday Story Hour 


BY 

LAURA ELLA CRAGIN 

AUTHOR OF “KINDERGARTEN STORIES FOR THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 
AND HOME,” “KINDERGARTEN BIBLE STORIES,” 

“OLD TESTAMENT STORIES,” ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED BY HELEN W. COOKE 




HODDER & STOUGHTON 
NEW YORK 

GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 



% 


COPYRIGHT, 1917, 

BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 


*4 •% 

* • 



APR 24 1917 


PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 


©Cl, A 4 60566 

■W> f 4 


/ 




TO MY DEAR FRIEND, 

MEME BROCKWAY. 

WHO IS DEVOTING HER LIFE TO WORK FOR LITTLE CHILDREN, 
THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 






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FOREWORD 


“Between the dark and the daylight, 

When the night is beginning to lower, 

Comes a pause in the day’s occupations, 

That is known as the Children’s Hour.” * 

It is for this “hour,” on Sunday, when the 
children come with 

“A sudden rush from the stairway, 

A sudden raid from the hall,” * 

to take the mother or father by storm that these 
stories are written. 

There are some which tell of our heavenly 
Father’s care and protection and of the loving 
care of Jesus, others which teach lessons of 
obedience, helpfulness and kindness, and still 
others for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Many of them were written for the Beginner’s 
leaflets, issued by the Presbyterian Boards, and 

* From “The Children’s Hour,” by Longfellow. 


viii 


FOREWORD 


are now published by the kind permission of 
the editors. 

If the little children are helped to trust our 
heavenly Father more confidently, if as they 
hear of Jesus’ loving service they desire to be 
more kind and helpful to others, and if the pic¬ 
tures of life in other homes lead them to appre¬ 
ciate their own fathers and mothers more fully, 
my aim in writing these stories will be realised. 

L. E. C. 


CONTENTS 


f 

OUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S CARE 

PAGE 

I. The Little Boy Who Didn’t Want to 

Go to Bed .17 

II. Our Heavenly Father’s Care ... 21 

III. Ruth’s Red Coat.25 

IV. How Snow-White Cared for her Kittens 31 

V. The Chickadees.34 

OUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S PROTECTION 

VI. Teddy and His Kittens.39 

VII. Max.42 

VIII. The Dangerous Boat Ride .... 47 

IX. The Story of Ishmael.51 

X. Paul Protected in the Storm . . 55 

XI. The Angel Helping Peter ... 59 

THE LOVING CARE OF JESUS 

XII. Jesus Helping a Father. 63 

XIII. Jesus and a Blind Man.67 

XIV. Jesus Healing a Sick Boy .... 71 

XV. Jesus and the Children.75 


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IX 













X 


CONTENTS 


PRAYER 

PAGE 

XVI. Learning to Pray . 79 

v 

THE SABBATH 

XVII. Sunday, the Children’sJ3est Day . . 86 

XVIII. Sunday Sunbeams. 90 

HELPFULNESS 

XIX. The Helpers. 96 

XX. Little Builders. 101 

XXL How the Ants Filled Their Storehouses 106 

XXII. A Little Eskimo Sister. 110 

XXIII. How Edna Helped the Children . . 115 

XXIV. The Policeman, the Children’s Friend 120 
XXV. Four Friends Helping a Sick Man . 124 

XXVI. A Little Boy Helping Jesus ... 129 

KINDNESS 

XXVII. Peter and John and the Lame Man . 136 

XXVIII. Little Lucy’s Narrow Escape . . . 140 

OBEDIENCE 

XXIX. How Little Elsie Learned to Obey . 144 

XXX. The Baby Robins. 149 

EASTER 

XXXI. The Baby Acorn. 155 

XXXII. A Spring Walk. 158 

XXXIII. The Easter Lilies. 165 










CONTENTS xi 

THANKSGIVING 

PAGE 

XXXIV. Hugh’s and Marjorie’s Thanksgiving . 170 

XXXV. Sallie’s Cookies. 175 

XXXVI. A Little Boy’s Dream. 180 

XXXVII. The Widow’s Mite. 184 

CHRISTMAS 

XXXVIII. Mary and the Baby Jesus .... 189 

XXXIX. A Christmas Visit. 194 

XL. Christmas All the Year .... 201 








































ILLUSTRATIONS 


“It’s a Nice Day”. 

The Secret. 

Teddy’s Kittens. 

Mother Giving Little Lucy Her Supper 
“Father, Please Tell Us a Story” . 

The Evening Prayer. 

The Tea Party. 

Watching for Daddy. 

“Come and Play with Us, Lucy” . . 

The Easter Lily. 

Feeding Teddy. 

Christmas Joys. 


Frontispiece 

PAGE 

. . 28 

. . 40 

. . 52 

. . 64 

. . 80 

. . 102 

. . 122 

. . 142 

. . 168 

. . 182 

. . 198 


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SUNDAY STORY HOUR 




























SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


i 

THE LITTLE BOY WHO DIDN’T WANT TO GO TO BED 

O NCE there was a little hoy who never 
wanted to go to bed. Every night, when 
his mother said, ‘ ‘ Come, Freddie, it is time for 
yon to put away your toys now and go to bed,” 
he would say, “0 mother, must I go now? It 
is so early, and I want to play a little longer.” 

Then when his mother replied that he must 
go, he would fret and even cry sometimes as 
he was taken to bed. 

One night his mother said to him: “ Freddie, 
you are never ready to go to bed, so to-night 
I am going to let you sit up as late as you 
choose. You may stay awake all night if you 
like.” 

“O mother, may I really?” asked Freddie. 
“ What fun that will be! I’ll stay up the whole 
night long and play and play and play. ’ 9 

He went on building with his blocks, but after 
a time he didn’t want to play with them any 
more, so he took his big Teddy bear and one 
17 


18 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


of his picture books, and curled up in a big 
chair in the library near the fireplace. 

Suddenly, out from the very fire itself, there 
came the strangest little man. His little suit 
and tiny cap were just the colour of the flames, 
and he carried a long, sharp-pointed stick in 
his hand. “Ho, there, Freddie!” he called. 
“Wake up! You are going to stay up all night, 
you know.” 

“Why, I wasn’t asleep,” said Freddie. “I 
was just looking at the pictures in my book.” 

“Mind you do that, and don’t go to sleep,” 
said the little man. 

Freddie turned a page or two and then his 
eyes began to close. “Wake up!” cried the lit¬ 
tle man. “No sleep for you to-night.” 

Again Freddie turned over a page, hut he 
just couldn’t keep his eyes open. “Here! 
here! ’ ’ cried the little man. ‘ ‘None of that: I ’ll 
see that you keep awake. ’ ’ 

“Oh, I don’t want to stay up any longer. I 
want to go to bed,” said Freddie. 

“Not to-night,’’ the little man replied. “You 
are to stay awake all night and I’ll see that you 
do it, ’ ’ and he stuck his sharp-pointed stick into 
Freddie’s arm. 

“Oh, you hurt me!” cried Freddie. “Oh, 
dear! oh, dear!” 

“Why, my darling little hoy, what is the mat¬ 
ter?” said a sweet voice. 

Freddie opened his eyes and found his moth- 


STAYING UP AT NIGHT 


19 


er’s arms about him. “0 mother, the little 
fire man said I couldn’t go to sleep, but I don’t 
want to stay up all night. I want to go to bed.” 

''Well, you shall, dear little son,” said his 
mother. 4 ‘ Y ou have been dr earning, I think. ’ ’ 

Then father came and carried the sleepy little 
boy upstairs. After mother had undressed him 
he knelt and said his evening prayer: 

“Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me; 

Bless thy little lamb to-night: 

Through the darkness be thou near me; 

Keep me safe till morning light.” 

As his mother tucked him in bed, he sleepily 
said, “This is so much nicer than staying up all 
night. ’ ’ 

The next morning, when Freddie waked up, 
he took his big Teddy bear in his arms and went 
to look out of the window. “It’s a nice day, 
mother, ’ ’ he cried, as he ran into her room. 

“Yes, dear little son,” she replied, as she be¬ 
gan to dress him, “our heavenly Father has 
given us another beautiful day.” 

After breakfast mother took her little boy in 
her arms and as she rocked him, she told him 
of the time, long, long ago, when God made the 
world. 

“At first it was all dark,” she said, “but our 
heavenly Father knew that it wouldn’t be pleas¬ 
ant for people to stay in the dark all the time, so 
he made the sun to give light. We love the 


20 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


bright sunshine, my little boy, do we not, and 
was not our heavenly Father good to send it to 
us?” 

“Yes, mother,” answered Freddie, “he was 
good. I like the sunshine. ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ But, ’’ said his mother, ‘‘ God knew that when 
grown people had worked and little children had 
played all day they would need to rest. lie 
knew that it would be hard to sleep when the 
sun was shining, so he planned the darkness for 
the night. 

“This is one of our heavenly Father’s gifts 
just as is the day. Both day and night are 
alike to him, and he takes care of us in the 
darkness just as he does in the light. Is it not 
pleasant to have the darkness, in which we can 
sleep so restfully? It would be very hard to 
stay awake all the time, would it not?” 

“Yes, indeed, mother,” replied Freddie, 
“and I’m glad I only dreamed about the little^ 
man in the fire who wouldn’t let me sleep.” 

“Would you like to learn a little prayer to 
say to our heavenly Father?” asked mother. 
“It is, ‘ The day is thine, the night also is 
thine.’ ” 

When Freddie had said this little prayer, he 
added: 6 ‘ Thank thee, heavenly Father, that I 
can go to sleep when night comes. Amen.” 


II 


OUR HEAVENLY FATHER^ CARE 

rflHE little house stood on the edge of the 
wood. All the trees were bare except the 
evergreens. These still had their pretty green 
needles. Snow was on the needles. Snow cov¬ 
ered the brown leaves, which made a carpet un¬ 
der the trees. It was very cold. Mother was 
crying in the little house. 

“0 mother, dear, don’t cry,” said Herbert. 

‘‘Don’t cy,” said little sister. 

Mother smiled at them through her tears. 
“I’ll try not to cry, my little ones,” she said. 
“But oh, I don’t know what we shall do! Fa¬ 
ther went to find work and he has not come 
back. He has been gone such a long time. I 
am afraid that something has happened to him. 
And we shall all be hungry soon. There is only 
half a loaf of bread left and a little corn- 
meal. ’ ’ 

“Mother, won’t God take care of us?” asked 
Herbert. 

“Yes, dear, I am sure that he will,” said his 
mother, “and I’ll not cry any more. He is our 
heavenly Father and I know that he loves ns. 

21 


22 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


’Tis getting late, chickabiddies, and you must 
both go to bed.’ ’ 

The children ate some of the bread and then 
they knelt down to pray. “Heavenly Father, 
bless father, ’’ prayed Herbert, ‘ ‘ and bring him 
back to us. Don’t let mother cry. Take care of 
us, dear God, and give us something to eat. 
Amen . 9 9 

“Bess favor,” lisped little May, “and take 
care May.” 

“Jesus taught a prayer to the people who 
loved him,” said mother. “Would you like to 
learn some of it, Herbert?” 

“Yes, mother,” said the little boy. 

“ 4 Give us this day our daily bread,’ ” said 
his mother. 

Slowly the little boy said the words. Then 
he sprang up and, throwing his arms about his 
mother’s neck, he kissed her. “Don’t you cry, 
mother dear,” he said. “I just know God will 
send us our bread.” 

Soon the children were asleep and mother 
sat near them sewing. The wind rose. She 
went to the door and looked out. Snow was 
blown in gusts against the house. She went 
back to her work. The wind blew louder and 
louder. The icy snow was driven against the 
windows. “What a wild storm this is!” thought 
mother. 

For a while she went on with her sewing. 
As it grew late she put away her work and 


OUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S CARE 23 


was just going to bed when there came a knock 
on the door. Mother opened it and there stood 
father! He was all covered with snow and he 
looked tired and worn. 

“Oh, I am glad to reach home,” he said. 

“I am so glad and thankful to see you, dear,” 
said mother, as she kissed him. “How could 
you come through the forest in such a storm 
as this?” 

“It was not snowing when I left the city,” 
he answered, “and I was eager to get home. 
I knew that you must be needing food by this 
time.” 

“Oh, I am sure that God helped you to reach 
us,” said mother, “for our food is almost 
gone.” 

“I looked and looked for work in the city,” 
said father, “and at last I found something to 
do. This morning I told the man for whom I 
work that I wanted to go home to my family, 
for I feared that they needed food, and he said 
that I might go.” 

“Oh, I am glad that you came to us! But 
how could you find your way in this storm?” 

“It was not snowing, as I told you,” said 
father, “when I started. But after I had 
walked some distance through the forest the 
snow began to fall. Then the wind rose, but I 
kept on. Several times I lost my way, but at 
last I saw the little light in the window. I 
thank God that I could reach you.” 


24 > 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“And I, too, thank him,” said mother, “for 
keeping yon safe and bringing yon hack to ns. ’’ 

The next morning when the children wak¬ 
ened they had snch a happy surprise! “I knew 
God would send some one to help us, father,” 
said Herbert, “but I didn’t know it would be 
you . 9 9 

Father had brought both food and money. 
Mother cooked a nice breakfast and as they 
were eating it Herbert said, “Our heavenly 
Father did send you, didn’t he, father?” 

6 ‘ Why do you think so, little son ? ’ ’ asked his 
father. 

“We asked him to take care of us and give 
us ‘our daily bread,’ and then you came, so of 
course he sent you,” replied Herbert. 

“Yes, my son,” said his father, “our 
heavenly Father did send me, I am sure, for 
he takes loving care of all of us.” 


Ill 


buth’s bed coat 

M OTHER sat sewing on Ruth’s pretty red 
coat. In and out went the needle, fasten¬ 
ing on the bright buttons. At last the coat was 
finished. “Put it on, dear, and we’ll see how 
it looks,” said mother. 

“0 mother, how pretty it is!” said Ruth. 
“And it is so nice and warm. Thank you for 
making it for me.” 

“You are welcome, dear, for what I did,” re¬ 
plied her mother, “but there are many others 
to thank.” 

“Who are they, mother?” 

“Who do you think worked hard to earn 
money to pay for the cloth?” asked mother. 
“Father,” answered Ruth. 

“Yes, father earned the money and mother 
bought the cloth, cut out the coat and then 
sewed it. But where do you suppose the cloth 
came from?” 

“From the store, mother.” 

‘ 6 Yes, the clerk sold it to mother at the store. 
But who do you think made the cloth?” 

25 


26 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“I don’t know, mother.’’ 

“The weaver wove it. And from what do 
you think he wove it!” 

“From wool, mother, and the wool came from 
the sheep.” 

“Yes, the farmer took the wool to the weaver. 
And who do you think gave the sheep its warm 
coat of wool, little girl?” 

“Our heavenly Father, mother.” 

“Just think how many there are to thank 
for your coat! The sheep, the farmer, the 
weaver, the storekeeper, father, mother and our 
dear heavenly Father. There are many others, 
too—the farmer’s helpers, the men on the train 
which carried the cloth to the city, the clerk 
in the store who sold it to mother, the delivery 
boy who brought it to the house, and others. 
Think how many people worked to give my little 
girl a coat!” 

“0 mother, I’d like to thank them every 
one. ’ ’ 

“You did thank me, dear, and you can thank 
your father when he comes home. Then you 
can say ‘thank you’ to the boy who brings our 
bundles from the store, and the next time you 
go to shop with mother you can thank the clerk 
who waits on us. Then you can thank our 
heavenly Father right now. Would you like to 
say a ‘thank you’ prayer?” 

Little Ruth closed her eyes and said: 4 ‘ Thank 
you, heavenly Father, for my warm cloak. I’m 


RUTH’S RED COAT 27 

glad you gave the wool to the sheep so I can 
have it. Amen.’ 9 

That afternoon Ruth went to a party. She 
wore a white dress her mother had made for 
her, which was trimmed with some pretty 
flowers. Over this she wore her warm red coat. 
At the party she met her little friend Teddy. 

“Come out in the hall, Ruth,” he said. “I 
have a secret to tell you.” 

They found a seat by the window and there 
Teddy whispered his secret in Ruth’s ear. 

“Father’s going to give me a pony, Ruth, 
and a pony cart,” he said, “and I’ll come and 
take you to ride. Won’t that be fine!” 

“Oh, that’s the best secret I ever heard,” 
said Ruth. “Will you have the pony soon?” 

“Yes, next week,” said Teddy. 

When Ruth reached home her mother asked, 
“Did you have a nice time, dear?” 

“Yes, mother,” the little girl answered. “We 
played games and had icecream and little cakes 
and lots of things. And, 0 mother, what do you 
think! Teddy is going to have a pony and he ’ll 
take me to ride. Won’t that be fun?” 

“Yes, indeed,” said mother. “You will have 
good times with him.” 

The next morning, as Ruth ate her breakfast, 
she asked, “Where does the bread come from, 
mother?” 

“The wheat grew in the farmer’s field,” said 
her mother. “Our heavenly Father sent the 


28 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


rain to make the ground soft. Then the farmer 
planted the seed. What do you think helped 
the wheat to grow, dear?” 

“The rain, mother.” 

“And what else?” 

“The sunshine.” 

“Yes, and when the wheat had grown the 
farmer cut it down and took it to the mill and 
the miller made it into flour. Then the flour 
was taken to the store and there mother bought 
it. Then it was made into bread for your 
breakfast. You see many people worked to 
give my little girl bread, just as others worked 
to give her a nice warm coat. And our heav¬ 
enly Father, who gave the wool to the sheep, 
gave the sun and rain to help the wheat to 
grow. Can you think of anything else he gives 
you, Ruth?” 

“The orange, mother, I’ve just had.” 

“Yes, he makes all the fruit trees grow. 
What other kinds of fruit grow on trees, dear?” 

“Apples and pears and grapes, mother.” 

“Apples and pears grow on trees, but grapes 
grow on vines. Don’t you remember the pretty 
vines you saw at grandfather’s home a few 
weeks ago on which were purple grapes?” 

“Oh, yes, mother, and grandfather let me 
pick some.” 

“What does our heavenly Father give us to 
drink?” asked her mother. 

“Water, mother.” 






THE SECRET 





RUTH’S RED COAT 


29 


“Where does the water come from, Ruth?” 

“From the faucet, mother.” 

“Would you like to hear a story of how the 
water goes into the faucet?” 

“Oh, yes, mother.” 

‘ ‘ Once there were some little drops of water 
up in a cloud. They were having the nicest kind 
of ride. But after a time the cloud went in 
front of the sun and suddenly out fell the rain¬ 
drops. They dropped down, down, down. At 
last they fell into a big lake, but they weren’t 
a bit hurt. 

“ ‘Let’s see if we can help some one,’ said a 
raindrop. 

‘ ‘ ‘ Oh, yes, that will be fun, ’ said the others. 

“They joined hands and hurried along. At 
last they saw some pipes. ‘Let’s go through 
these pipes and see what we shall find,’ they 
said. 

“After they had gone a long way they had 
to stop because they came to a faucet. But in 
a few moments they heard a little girl say, ‘0 
mother, please give me a drink. I’m so thirsty.’ 

“ ‘Let us out,’ said the raindrops. ‘We’ll 
give her a drink.’ 

“Mother turned the faucet and out tumbled 
the raindrops, filling the glass which she held. 
Oh, how good the water tasted to thirsty Ruth!” 

“Why, mother, was the story about me?” 

“Yes, dear, the water drops come a long way 


30 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


to give you a drink. Who do you think tells 
the little drops when to fall?” 

4 ‘Our heavenly Father. I just love him, for 
he gives me bread and oranges and water and 
—everything .’ 1 

“Yes, dear, it is just as your verses say, 
‘God is love,’ and ‘He careth for you.’ He 
gives you food and clothes, your home and 
friends. Would you like to learn a ‘thank you’ 
song, Ruth, to sing to our heavenly Father ?” 

“Yes, mother.” 

And she repeated after her mother this little 
song: 

“Thank you, Father, from above, 

For the friends and home I love, 

For the world so bright and fair; 

Thank you for your loving care. 

“Thank you for the food I eat, 

For the sunshine pure and sweet, 

For the darkness and the light; 

Thank you for the day and night. 

“Thank you for the water, too, 

Which comes down in rain and dew; 

Thank you for the clothes I wear, 

For my mother’s love and care.”* 

* The first two verses are adapted from “A Thank 
You Song,” found in “Carols” (Leyda Publishing Com¬ 
pany), by kind permission of the author, Mrs. Howard 
M. Leyda, owner of the copyright. The last verse is by 
Laura Ella Cragin. 


IV 


HOW SNOW-WHITE CARED FOR HER KITTENS 

P LEASE help me,” pleaded pussy, as she 
rubbed against mother. 

“Why, Snow-white, do you want a nice soft 
bed ? 9 9 asked mother. “ I ’ll make one for you . 9 9 

She spread a piece of blanket in a clothes 
basket and pussy jumped in and purred her 
thanks. She was such a pretty cat. Little 
Margaret had named her Snow-white because 
her soft fur was as white as snow. Margaret 
loved her very much and never teased her. 

A few days after mother had fixed the nice 
bed for Snow-white, Margaret found four pure 
white kittens in the clothes basket. She was 
so happy that she danced about the room, call¬ 
ing, ‘ 4 Mother, mother, come and see what Snow- 
white has in the basket!” 

Mother came quickly. “Oh, how cunning 
they are!” she said. “Well, Snow-white, I am 
sure that you are a happy little mother.” 

She stroked the pussy’s soft fur. Then Mar¬ 
garet called to her three brothers. “Oh, boys, 
come and see what Snow-white has.” 

31 


32 SUNDAY STORY HOUR 

The boys came running to the basket. 
‘ ‘ Aren ’t they fine kittens ?’ ’ they said. 

For a while the kittens stayed in their nice 
bed and made no trouble. But, as they grew 
bigger, they clambered over the sides of the 
clothes basket and were much in the way. 

“Boys, you must make them a box,” said 
mother, “where they can stay.” 

So the box was made, with a hole through 
which Snow-white and her kittens could go in 
and out, but not big enough to let in the big 
spotted coach dog that lived next door. 

The days were getting warmer and mother 
knew that the kittens needed fresh air, so one 
night she set the box out in the summer kitchen. 
Snow-white went to her kittens and Margaret 
said good-night to her. 

But the next morning the box was empty. 
There wasn’t a kitten to be found. 

“0 mother, where can they be?” cried Mar¬ 
garet. 

Just then Snow-white appeared and eagerly 
lapped the saucer of nice milk that Margaret 
gave her. “Where are your kittens, Snow- 
white?” asked the little girl. 

But kitty paid no attention to her question. 
“I am sure that they are safe,” said mother, 
“or Snow-white would be crying.” 

For two or three weeks little Margaret saw 
no kittens. But one day, as she was out in the 
woodshed, back of the summer kitchen, she 


SNOW-WHITE AND HER KITTENS 33 


heard a soft mew. She looked all about the 
shed. Not a kitten was to be seen. Again she 
heard the soft cry. At last, looking up, she saw 
a kitten’s face peering down at her from the 
loft. 

“0 mother,” she cried, running into the 
house, “I’ve found the kittens!” 

The ladder to the loft was so steep that Mar¬ 
garet was not allowed to climb it, hut one of the 
boys went up and brought down the kittens. 
Margaret was so glad to play with them again. 

‘ ‘ Why did Snow-white take her kittens to the 
loft, mother?” she asked. 

“I think she feared that the dog next door 
would get them, or that some harm would come 
to them in the summer kitchen,” replied her 
mother. “So she carried them, one by one, 
through the woodshed and up that steep ladder 
to the loft, where she thought they would be 
safe. 

“You see, dear, Snow-white tries to take 
good care of her babies and protect them from 
all harm, just as mother cares for you. Who 
is it that teaches Snow-white to care for her 
kittens, dear?” 

“Our heavenly Father,” said Margaret 
softly. 

“Yes,” replied her mother, “he teaches all 
mothers how to care for their little ones.” * 


The incidents of this story are founded upon fact. 


V 


THE CHICKADEES * 

T HERE were once two little sisters named 
Emily and Gertrude, who lived in a small 
house in a country town. Near their home were 
beautiful woods in which the little girls always 
liked to play. 

In the spring they found wild flowers there. 
First came the hepaticas, with their white 
blossoms tipped with purple and with their soft, 
furry leaves. Emily and Gertrude had to hunt 
for these little flowers, for they were almost 
hidden under the brown, leafy carpet of the 
forest. 

Later came the violets, spring beauties, and 
other flowers. Squirrels ran up and down the 
trees, and birds sang in their branches. There 
was always much to see and hear in the woods. 
In summer the leaves of the trees made shady, 

* This story was suggested by F. C. Woodward’s poem, 
“Chickadees,” from which quotations are made. The 
poem may be found in the “Boston Collection of Kin¬ 
dergarten Stories,” published by J. L. Hammett Com¬ 
pany. Used by permission of the publishers. 

34 


THE CHICKADEES 


35 


cool places in which to play, on even the hottest 
days. 

Towards the end of the summer most of the 
birds flew away and the little girls missed 
their sweet songs. As the autumn came the 
leaves put on their bright dresses of red and 
gold, and came dancing down from the trees. 
Now the forest was bare and brown, except 
where the fir trees kept their green needles. 

For a time Emily and Gertrude felt rather 
sad, but one morning mother woke them and 
said, “Look out of the window, little girls.’’ 

They ran to the window and saw something 
white and fluffy coming down from the clouds. 
“0 mother, snow! snow!” they cried joyfully. 

The snow didn’t last very long that first day, 
but soon it came again, and this time the ground 
was quite covered. 

“What a nice, soft blanket the flowers have 
now, mother,” said Gertrude. 

Mother sang a little song: 


“Do you know why the snow 

Is hurrying through the garden so? 

Just to spread a nice soft bed 
For the sleepy flowers’ head; 

To cuddle up the baby ferns, 

And smooth the lily’s sheet, 

And tuck a warm, white blanket down 
Around the roses’ feet.”* 

* The “Youth’s Companion.” Used by permission. 


36 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“I am glad that the flowers have such a warm, 
white blanket,” said Emily. “Will you teach 
us that song, please, mother ?” 

“Yes,” replied mother, “hurry and dress and 
I will do so. ’ ’ 

After breakfast the little girls went for a 
frolic in the snow. They threw snowballs at 
each other, coasted on their sleds and had a 
happy time. When they came into the house 
they had a party with their dolls. 

As they were playing, a little bird on a tree 
near the window began singing, “Chick-a-dee- 
dee, chick-a-dee-dee. ’’ 

Emily stopped her playing and listened: 

“ ‘0 sister, look out of 

The window/ said she; 

‘Here’s a dear little bird 
Singing chick-a-dee-dee.’ 99 

“He must be very cold,” said Gertrude. 

“Yes,” said Emily, “for he has no stock¬ 
ings or shoes, and he has to walk in the snow. 
But just hear how sweetly he is singing his 
chick-a-dee-dee. ’ ’ 

Just then mother came into the room and 
Emily said: “0 mother, here’s a dear little 
chickadee and I know he must be cold. Won’t 
you get him some stockings and shoes and a 
little dress and hat? I wish he’d come into 
the house and let us warm him.” 

The bird had flown down to the window-sill 


THE CHICKADEES 


37 


to get some bread crumbs which the children 
had put out, and he heard what Emily said. 
“How funny I’d look in a dress and hat, and 
in stockings and shoes!” he thought, and he 
laughed as he sang his chick-a-dee-dee. 

“I thank you,” he said to Emily, “for being 
so kind. But I don’t need any dress, or stock¬ 
ings and shoes.” Then he sang: 

“ ‘I had rather remain 

With my little legs free, 

Then go hobbling along 
Singing chick-a-dee-dee. , ” 

“Our heavenly Father has clothed me 
warmly, just as he has clothed you, so that I 
do not get cold.” Then he said: 

“ ‘Good morning! Oh, who are 
So happy as wef 
And away he went 

Singing his chick-a-dee-dee.” 

Emily and Gertrude couldn’t understand all 
that the little bird said, but mother told them of 
the loving heavenly Father’s care of the birds. 

“He sends the snow,” said mother, “to make 
a warm blanket for the sleeping flowers. He 
taught some of the birds to fly away to the 
South, where it is warm, and he gave the spar¬ 
rows, chickadees and other birds that stay in 
the North warm feathers, so that they do not 
get cold. 


38 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“The birds do not need stockings and shoes, 
dresses and hats, but you saw how glad the 
little chickadee was to eat the crumbs which you 
put out of the window. It is often hard for the 
birds to find food when the snow comes, so we 
can help our heavenly Father to feed them.” 

“0 mother, we’ll put out some crumbs 
every single day,” said the little girls. 


VI 


TEDDY AND HIS KITTENS 

O NCE there was a little boy named Teddy. 

He was his mother’s only child, and some¬ 
times he was lonely and wished that he had a 
playfellow. His mother thought, “I must get 
Teddy a pet with which he can play.” 

The next day the grocer’s boy asked to speak 
to her. “We have a cat and five kittens,” he 
said. “We are moving away from our house 
and we cannot take them. Would you like 
them?” 

Teddy stood near and heard what the 
grocer’s boy said. “0 mother,” he cried, 
“mayn’t I have them? I should so like to have 
some kittens.” 

“Well, you may bring them to us,” said 
mother to the grocer’s boy. 

The next morning Teddy ran out to the gate 
right after breakfast and watched for the 
grocer’s boy. After a while he saw dust in 
the road and in a moment there was the cart 
and horse. 

As the grocer’s boy drove up to the house 
he jumped down and lifted out a basket. In it 
39 


40 SUNDAY STORY HOUR 

was such a pretty white cat and five cunning 
little kittens. There were three black kittens, 
a grey one, and a white one with a black streak 
on its face. 

Teddy was so happy to have them. He took 
the kittens out of the basket and put them on 
the ground. Then he lifted two of the black 
kittens and the little white one into his lap. 
They were so tiny that they could hardly walk, 
but one of the little black kittens and the little 
grey one sprawled around on the ground. 

Teddy held the little white kitten in his arms 
and the mother cat came up and licked one of 
the black kittens. She wanted to wash its face. 
She knew that Teddy loved her babies and she 
wasn’t afraid of him. Teddy stroked her soft 
fur. “Pm so glad to have you and your kit¬ 
tens,” he said. 

Every day Teddy had merry plays with his 
pets. He named the mother cat Tabby. The 
black kittens he called Blackie, Topsy and 
Sambo. The grey kitten he named Puffy, and 
the white one, Fluffy. 

The kittens sometimes ran up his back and sat 
on his shoulder. They liked to play with him. 
Teddy often held a string and drew it slowly 
across the floor, and the kittens scampered 
after it, trying to catch it. 

Every morning Teddy fed Tabby, and after 
the kittens were bigger he fed them, too. What 
do you think that he gave them? A saucer of 



teddy's kittens 




















































TEDDY AND HIS KITTENS 


41 


milk. They liked to drink it just as you do. 
But they didn’t take it just the same way. 
Teddy liked to watch them lap it with their little 
red tongues. 

The mother cat took good care of her little 
ones. She liked to have Teddy play with them 
because he was always loving and gentle. 

One day when Tabby and her kittens were 
out in the yard a big, fierce looking dog passed 
by. ‘ ‘ Run, kittens, run!’ ’ said the mother cat. 

Away scampered the kittens. But after poor 
little Fluffy ran the big dog. Before he could 
reach her the mother cat rushed at him. 
Though he was so much bigger than she, Tabby 
wasn’t afraid. She jumped at the dog and 
stuck her sharp claws into him until he howled 
with pain. He stopped chasing Fluffy and 
was glad to slink away. 

After he had gone Fluffy ran back to her 
mother. I think that she tried to say 4 ‘thank 
you, ’ ’ in her soft, purring voice. Our heavenly 
Father gave Tabby her sharp claws, so that she 
could take care of her kittens and "keep them 
safe from danger. 




VII 


MAX* 

T HERE were four children in the little white 
cottage that stood all alone in the valley. 
Bright flowers grew in the garden, and in the 
meadow beyond there were white daisies, yellow 
buttercups and pink clovers. 

Other houses were far away, so the children 
had no playmates but one another. But they 
were very happy together and very helpful to 
busy mother, who had so much to do. 

When father and mother first went to the 
valley to live they travelled in a great wagon. 
But when Maurice, the oldest child, was a baby 
a railway was started through the valley. 

When the twins, Frances and Frederica, were 
old enough to run about, the first train went 
by. Oh, how the children watched it! They 
clapped their hands and danced up and down. 

Father and mother came, too, to see the train 
pass through the valley. Every day the chil¬ 
dren watched the cars go by, and waved their 

""Adapted from the story of “Max,” by Annie A. 
Preston. 


42 


MAX 43 

hats and handkerchiefs to the trainmen and the 
passengers. 

Sometimes the engineer or one of the passen¬ 
gers would throw something out to the children. 
Once it was an apple, another day some little 
cakes, another day some candy. How the chil¬ 
dren smiled and waved their hands! 

At first their mother was afraid that they 
might go too near the track and be hurt, but 
after a time she had no fear. The whistle blew 
loudly before the train came in sight and the 
children were always careful to keep away from 
the track. 

Black-haired Joseph, the baby, was now 
creeping about, and the children watched him 
closely to see that he did not go too near the 
train. 

One day the freight train, which passed each 
noon, went more slowly than usual. Just as it 
came near the house the jolly brakeman swung 
off a big basket. It went rolling down the hill 
and out of it tumbled a fat, round, black and 
white Newfoundland puppy. 

The children had never seen a dog before 
and they were so surprised. The engineer and 
brakeman laughed and waved to them until the 
train went out of sight around a curve. 

The children named the puppy Max, and after 
that he was always with them when they 
watched the train. Sometimes they stuck his 
shaggy coat full of flowers so that he looked 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


44 

like a big bouquet. Sometimes be bad a pretty 
wreatb of flowers around bis neck. 

At nigbt tbe father taught him tricks. Then, 
when be bad learned them, Max would stand 
on his bind legs, make a bow, roll over, turn 
somersaults or dance, as tbe train passed. The 
trainmen and tbe passengers would laugh at bis 
tricks. 

When Max bad grown to be a great strong 
dog there was a new baby, Theresa, in tbe little 
white cottage. She was a wonderful creeper 
and could creep on her small bands and feet 
quite as fast as tbe other children could walk. 

One day a letter came saying that grand¬ 
mother was coming to make a visit. How ex¬ 
cited tbe children were! Maurice, Frances, 
Frederica and Joseph all went out to tbe 
meadow to pick flowers to make the bouse look 
pretty. 

“We will leave baby for mother to watch 
while we go for daisies,” said Maurice. 

But mother was busy and she did not see 
that baby had crept away from the doorstep. 
The children picked flowers for the house. Then 
they made a wreath for Max to wear and long 
flower chains for themselves. Just then they 
heard the whistle of a train and they scampered 
over the meadow to the place where they could 
see it best. 

Mother, too, went to the door to see the cars 
pass, and there, on the track, she saw Baby 


MAX 


45 


Theresa, sitting in the sunshine, playing with 
the sand. The engineer, too, saw her, and oh, 
how he tried to stop the train! But he could 
not do it. 

“0 God, save my baby,” prayed the mother. 

The children screamed, but they could do 
nothing to help their little sister. Just then 
Max saw Theresa. With one bound he reached 
the track. He caught the baby by the belt of 
her pretty pink calico dress, lifted her from the 
ground and carried her to her mother. 

The engineer stopped the train. The tears 
ran down his cheeks. He went to the mother 
and shook her hand. He kissed the children and 
the baby, and patted the dog. Then he went 
back to the train. The mother held her baby 
close. Her eyes were full of happy tears. 

The children crowded around. “0 mother, 
God did save baby sister, didn’t he?” said 
Maurice. ‘ ‘ I asked him not to let her be killed.’ 9 
Then he patted the dog’s shaggy head. “You 
good Max,” he said. 

Mother bent over and kissed the big dog. “I 
am so glad you were near, good old fellow,” 
she said. Then she turned to the children, “I, 
too, prayed to God and begged him to save 
baby. How good he was to send Max to her! 
I can never thank him enough. ’ ’ 

That afternoon father came, bringing grand¬ 
mother with him, and they found a very happy 


46 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


family. When they heard how Max had saved 
the baby, they, too, thanked onr kind heavenly 
Father, who had sent the dog at just the right 
time. 


VHI 


THE DANGEROUS BOAT RIDE 

T HE children had been playing by the sea 
all the afternoon. They went close to the 
water’s edge and, as the waves came in. they 
merrily ran from them. 

Then, taking off their shoes and stockings, 
they ran races np and down the beach. How 
good the smooth sand felt to their bare feet. 
Fair-haired Bess loved to take np handfuls of 
it and let it slip through her fingers as she 
sang the little song her mother had taught her: 

“Little drops of water, 

Little grains of sand, 

Make the great, wide ocean 
And the pleasant land.” 

Ben, with his brown hair tangled by the wind, 
built houses and forts in the sand. He dug 
wells, too, which the water would fill. He liked 
to hold the shells to his ear and listen to their 
soft voices. At last he spied an old boat on 
the beach. “Oh, let’s get in!” he cried. 

Over the sides clambered the two children. 
At first only sand was about them, but, as the 
47 


48 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


tide came in, nearer and nearer crept the great 
waves until they lapped the sides of the boat. 
“See! see!” shouted Bess. “The waves are 
rocking us.” 

But soon the children’s glee was changed to 
fear, for the boat began to move and they were 
drifting out to sea. Mother, busy at her work 
in the little house near the shore, did not hear 
their cries, and no one was near to help them. 

As it grew darker, the stars came out, one by 
one, and Ben said: “Don’t be afraid, Bess: our 
heavenly Father will take care of us. I think 
that he is sending his stars to shine on us, so we 
need not fear.” 

Bess cuddled up close to her brother and 
soon both children were fast asleep. On and 
on went the boat through the long hours of the 
night, safely riding the waves. As the morning 
dawned, streaks of red and gold were thrown 
across the sky and the sun slowly rose, but still 
the children slept on. 

A black cloud now shut the sun from view and 
the wind rose. A loud clap of thunder wak¬ 
ened the children and little Bess clung in terror 
to her brother. 

“Don’t be afraid, sister,” said the brave little 
fellow. ‘ ‘ I know that Jesus will take care of us. 
Mother says that he is our Good Shepherd and 
we are his little lambs. Let us ask him to 
help us. Please keep us safe, dear Jesus,” he 
prayed. 


THE DANGEROUS BOAT RIDE 


49 


“And bring us back to mother,” added Bess. 

While the children prayed, the ship Seabird 
was returning home. On her deck paced the 
captain, peering out into the storm and dark¬ 
ness. 

The mate (one of the captain’s helpers) came 
up to him and said: “A boat has just passed us, 
carrying two children out to sea. It is danger¬ 
ous to turn the ship about, but they cannot be 
saved unless we do this.” 

“They must be saved!” cried the captain. 
‘ ‘ I love my own children so much that I cannot 
let these two drown. God will help us to reach 
them. Turn the ship about.” 

Oh, how the sailors worked, first to turn the 
ship in the high sea and then to overtake the 
little boat! When at last they came near it, 
one of the sailors fastened a line about his 
waist and sprang into the water. He swam to 
the boat and securely tied the rope to little Bess, 
who was then drawn up to the ship. 

As the captain saw her face he cried out, 
* ‘ My own little girl! ’ ’ 

Soon Ben was pulled up to safety and held 
close in his father’s arms. Last of all came 
the brave sailor who had risked his life to 
save the children. Great was the father’s joy 
and the sailors shared his happiness. 

“We knew that our heavenly Father would 
keep us safe, father,” said Ben. 


50 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“Didn’t lie send yon to take care of ns, 
father?” asked Bess. 

“Yes, I am snre that he did,” replied her 
father. 

When the ship reached the harbour there 
stood the mother, who had been anxiously 
searching for the children. “They are here 
safe with me,” called the captain. 

In a moment the mother had them in her 
arms. The little house on the shore held a 
happy family that night, and as the mother 
tucked the children in bed and kissed them 
tenderly, she said, “0 my darlings, I’m so 
glad and thankful to have you here. I kept 
praying to our heavenly Father, asking him to 
bring you safely back to me.” 

“And he did, mother,” said Ben. “We, too, 
asked him, and we weren’t afraid because we 
knew he would take care of us. ” * 

* This stoiy is adapted from the poem, “Drifted Out 
to Sea,” by Rose Hartwick Thorpe. 


IX 


THE STORY OF ISHMAEL 

TV/T OTHER was feeding little Lucy when 
^ Donald and Stuart ran in from their play. 
“0 mother, won’t you tell us a story?” asked 
Donald. 

“Yes, please do, mother,” said Stuart. 

“Well, wait till I finish giving Lucy her sup¬ 
per,” replied mother, “and then I’ll tell you of 
a little hoy who was once hungry.” 

When the mush and milk was all eaten mother 
put the bowl away and took little Lucy in her 
arms. The boys sat close beside her, as she 
began the story. 

“Once there lived a man,” she said, “whose 
name was Abraham. For many years he and 
his wife had wanted a son and at last God gave 
them a little boy. Oh, how glad they both were! 
They named their son Isaac and they thanked 
God many times for giving him to them. 

‘ ‘ One of the maid servants in the house also 
had a son whose name was Ishmael. One day 
Abraham gave a party, for he wanted all his 
friends to see his dear little son Isaac. 

51 


52 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“At the party Ishmael made fun of little 
Isaac. Perhaps Ishmael was cross because no 
party had been made for him; perhaps he was 
just mischievous and wanted to tease the little 
boy. 

“But when Isaacs mother heard Ishmael 
making fun of her son, she was very angry and 
she said to Abraham: ‘This boy cannot stay 
in our home any longer. You must send him 
and his mother away.’ 

“Abraham was a kind man and he did not 
want to send these two away from his home. 
But his wife said again and again that they 
must go, so at last Abraham did as she wished. 
He gave Hagar, IshmaePs mother, some bread, 
and a leather bottle filled with water. Then 
he sent her and her son away. 

* ‘ How sad Hagar was to Jeave the pleasant 
home in which she had lived for many years! 
How sorry Ishmael, too, was to go away! The 
two walked for quite a time. The sun was hot 
and there were no trees to give shade. Only 
sand and a few low shrubs were to be seen. 

“At noon Hagar and Ishmael ate some of 
the bread and drank some of the water which 
Abraham had given them. 

“Again they walked on and on. They grew 
very tired. They did not know just where to 
go. When night came they stopped to rest. 
Again they ate some of the bread and drank 
some of the water. Then they lay down on the 



MOTHER GIVING LITTLE LUCY HER SUPPER 








THE STORY OF ISHMAEL 


53 


ground and slept, for there were no houses in 
which they could stay. 

“The next day they walked on again. The 
next night they slept on the ground. Each 
day they did the same thing. At last all the 
bread was gone. There was no more water in 
the bottle. Hagar and Ishmael were hungry, 
but there was no more food. The hot sun made 
them very thirsty, but there was nothing to 
drink. 

“Ishmael walked more and more slowly. At 
last he said, ‘0 mother, Fm so thirsty and so 
tired.’ 

“ ‘Let us go a little farther,’ Hagar an¬ 
swered. ‘I think that we shall find water.’ 

‘ ‘ They walked on, but there was no water to 
be seen. ‘I can’t go any farther,’ said Ishmael. 

“ ‘Well, then, lie down under that bush,’ said 
his mother. She went on a short way and then 
she sat down on the ground. 

“When his mother left him Ishmael thought: 
‘I know that God is with us in this lonely place. 
I am sure that he will help us find some water. ’ 
So he prayed to God, asking him to help them. 
And God heard Ishmael’s prayer. 

“Hagar knew how tired and thirsty her boy 
was. She wanted to help him, but she could 
think of nothing that she could do. ‘He will die 
if he doesn’t have water, and I cannot see him 
die,’ she said. 

“She covered her face with her hands and 


54 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


began to weep. As she was crying God sent 
an angel who spoke to her and said: i What is 
the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid. God 
has heard Ishmael’s prayer and he will take 
care of him. Rise and go to your son. ’ 

“Hagar rose quickly and went toward her 
son, and as she was going she saw a well of 
water a little beyond where she had been sitting. 
How glad she was to find it! She ran quickly 
and filled her bottle, and gave her son a refresh¬ 
ing drink. Oh, how good the water tasted! 

“Soon Ishmael felt better. ‘I asked God to 
help us, mother/ he said. ‘I just knew that he 
would give us some water.’ 

“Hagar thanked God for answering her boy’s 
prayer and showing her the water. Ishmael, 
too, thanked our heavenly Father. Ishmael 
grew to be a strong man and the Bible tells us 
that God was with him.” 

“Oh, mother,” said Donald. “I’m glad 
that God showed Hagar the water so Ishmael 
didn’t die.” 

“So am I,” said Stuart. 

“Yes,” said mother, “God took care of him 
and kept him safe, and He takes care of us, too, 
my boys. Now mother must put Lucy to bed.” 

“Thank you, mother,” said Stuart. “I liked 
that story.” 

“I liked it, too,” said Donald. 


X 


PAUL PEOTECTED IN THE STOEM 

O NCE there was a man named Paul. He 
was a good man. He loved God and al¬ 
ways tried to please him. Wherever he went 
he told people about Jesus who loved them and 
came to help them. Once Paul had to take a 
long journey. He had to travel by land and 
then take a trip on the water. Two of his 
friends went with him. 

When they took the ship the weather was 
pleasant but soon the wind began to blow 
against them. It was hard for the sailors to 
manage the ship. For many days they sailed 
slowly. Then, as the wind blew more and more 
fiercely, the captain decided to put to land. It 
was hard to get the ship to shore but the sailors 
worked with a will and at last they safely 
reached the land. 

In those days people did not travel on the 
sea during the winter, as their ships were not 
strong enough to stand the terrible storms 
which came then. Paul said to the captain of 
the ship: “Sir, if we go to sea again the ship 
will be injured and our lives will be in danger. 
It would be better to stay here all winter.’* 

55 


56 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


But the captain did not think that this would 
be a good place in which to spend the winter, 
so he decided to sail a little farther. One day 
a gentle wind blew. The captain told Paul and 
the other passengers to go on board the ship. 
Then he sailed out to sea. 

In a short time a strong wind began to blow. 
It caught the ship and drove it along. Hour 
after hour and day after day the ship pitched 
and tossed on the great waves. The sailors 
threw overboard all that they were carrying on 
the ship to make it lighter and to keep it from 
being broken to pieces. The wind blew harder. 
The great waves came dashing over the ship. 
There was no sun to be seen by day. No moon 
or stars shone in the sky at night. 

The sailors and passengers were too fright¬ 
ened to eat any food. They thought that they 
might be drowned at any moment. What do 
you think that Paul did in his trouble? He 
prayed to God and asked him to save him. 
He prayed for all the people in the ship. Our 
heavenly Father heard PauPs prayer. He sent 
an angel to tell him that they should be kept 
safe in that terrible storm. 

The next morning Paul called all the people 
together. He said to the captain: “Sir, you 
ought to have done as I said and not have left 
the place where we stopped. Then all this 
trouble would not have come to you.” 

Then he said to the sailors and the passen- 


PAUL PROTECTED IN THE STORM 57 

gers: “Do not be afraid, for we shall all be 
saved: only the ship will be destroyed. Last 
night God sent an angel to me and the angel 
said, ‘Fear not, Paul; you shall be saved from 
this danger and God will save all those, also, 
who sail with you.’ 

“Be not afraid, therefore,” said Paul to the 
people, “for I am sure that what God promises 
will come true. We must be cast upon an 
island but we shall not be drowned.” 

Don’t you think that the sailors and pas¬ 
sengers were glad to hear that they would be 
saved? Soon the sailors found that they were 
coming near land. But it was too dark to see 
and they feared that the ship would be dashed 
against the rocks, so they dropped the anchors 
to keep the ship from going nearer the shore. 
Then they waited for the day. 

As it was growing lighter Paul said: “You 
have been many days without food. Now eat 
something, for it will make you stronger. Not 
one of you shall be drowned.” 

Then he, himself, took some bread, and after 
he had asked God to bless it, he ate it. The 
others on the ship, also, ate some food. 

When it was light they saw that they were 
near an island. They put up the sail and tried 
to reach the shore. But the wind was blowing a 
gale. It broke the mast to which the sail was 
fastened. The great waves dashed against the 
ship. 


58 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


Then the captain said: “The ship will soon 
be dashed to pieces. Those of you who can 
swim, jump into the water and swim ashore.” 

Many jumped into the sea and swam ashore. 
The ship began to break. Those who could not 
swim clung to pieces of wood from the broken 
ship. They were thus carried to land. 

At last all reached the shore, as Paul had 
said they would do. Our heavenly Father had 
kept them safe. 


XI 


THE ANGEL HELPING PETER 

J ESUS had gone back to heaven. His dis¬ 
ciples (the men who loved him and who had 
been with him every day) missed him very 
much. But they could still pray to him and 
they knew that some day they would he with 
him in heaven. 

They tried to please Jesus in all that they 
did. They were kind and loving to one another. 
They told others about Jesus who loved every 
one. 

There were some bad people who did not love 
Jesus. The king was one of these bad men. 
He did not wish to hear about Jesus. He did 
not wish others to be told of Jesus’ love. 
Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples. He loved 
Jesus very much and he wanted to please him. 

The king said that Peter must not tell others 
about Jesus, but Peter was a brave man. He 
was not afraid of the king. He kept on telling 
people about Jesus who loved them and who 
wanted to make them good. He knew that it 
was right for him to please God and not to obey 
the bad king. 


59 


60 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


One day the king sent his soldiers to take 
Peter. They marched him through the streets 
to prison. Some of these soldiers stood outside 
the door of the prison. Two others were in the 
cell, or little room, with Peter. He was chained 
to these two soldiers, so that he could not get 
away. Some of the soldiers watched him at 
night, others watched him by day. Peter was 
never alone. 

But he was not sad. He was not afraid. He 
knew that Jesus was stronger than the king. 
He knew that Jesus could save him, if it were 
best. He was not afraid to die, for he knew 
that he would go to be with Jesus in heaven. 

While Peter was in prison his friends prayed 
to Jesus, asking him to save Peter from the 
wicked king. They prayed day and night. The 
king planned to kill Peter. “I will kill him 
to-morrow,” he said. 

Peter knew that the king planned to kill him, 
hut he was not afraid. That night he took off 
his cloak, his belt and his sandals, and lay down 
between the soldiers to whom he was chained. 
He slept as peacefully as though he had been 
in his own bed at home. He knew that Jesus 
would take care of him. 

Jesus did take care of Peter. He sent one 
of his beautiful angels to save him. In the 
night a bright light filled the prison cell and 
with the light came the angel. He touched 
Peter and said, “Rise up quickly.” 


THE ANGEL HELPING PETER 61 


Peter awoke and oh, how surprised he was 
to see the angel and the bright light! He 
looked down and his chains were loosened. He 
was no longer fastened to the sleeping soldiers. 
The angel said, “Put on your belt and your 
sandals.’’ 

And Peter put them on. Then the angel 
said, “Put your cloak about you and follow 
me.” 

Peter wrapped his long cloak about him and 
followed the angel. It was all so strange that 
Peter thought he must be dreaming. The sol¬ 
diers in the cell were still asleep. Peter fol¬ 
lowed the angel through the door. Outside of 
this door were more soldiers. They, too, were 
asleep. 

The angel and Peter came to the great iron 
gate that led into the prison. It was always 
locked and bolted. But now it began to open 
slowly. When Peter and the angel had passed 
through, the gate slowly closed. 

The angel went with Peter for a little way 
and then he left him. Now Peter knew that it 
was an angel and that he was not dreaming. 
And he said, ‘ 4 1 am sure that the Lord has sent 
his angel and has saved me from the king.” 

Peter walked quickly through the streets 
until he came to the house of one of his friends. 
Many people who loved Peter were there. They 
had been praying through the night, asking 
God to save him from the king. Peter knocked 


6£ 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


at the door. A maid came to answer. “ Who is 
there?” she asked. 

“It is I, Peter/’ replied Peter. 

The maid knew his voice. She, too, loved 
him. She was so glad that she didn’t even stop 
to let him in. She ran back to the room where 
the others were and cried: “Peter is at the 
door! Peter is at the door!” 

They couldn’t believe her. But she said: 
“It is really true. Peter is there!” 

Still they could not believe that Peter was 
out of prison. All this time he kept on knock¬ 
ing. At last some one ran and opened the 
door and there stood Peter! How astonished 
they all were! 

Peter beckoned to them to make no noise, for 
he did not want the king’s soldiers to find him. 
Then he told his friends how God had sent an 
angel to lead him out of prison. “Tell all my 
friends that I am safe,” he said. “Tell them 
that the Lord protected me and saved me from 
the king.” 

Then he hastened away to another city, where 
the wicked king could not find him. I know 
that he thanked God for sending the angel to 
save him. I am sure that all his friends, too, 
thanked our heavenly Father, for they loved 
Peter and were very glad that he was safe. 


XII 


JESUS HELPING A FATHER 

F ATHER was holding the baby one Sunday 
afternoon, while Malcolm stood near watch¬ 
ing her, and Ernest sat close by, trying to make 
his little sister laugh. 

“Father, please tell us a story,’’ said Ernest. 
Father thought a moment and then he said, 
“I’ll tell you a story about a father who lived 
long ago when Jesus was on earth.” 

“Oh, I like stories about Jesus,” said Mal¬ 
colm. 

“In the country where Jesus lived,” said 
father, “there was a rich man. He had a beau¬ 
tiful home near a lake, and many servants who 
were quick to wait upon him. He had one little 
boy whom he loved very dearly. 

“The boy was a happy little fellow, and he 
played by the lake, ran races with the other 
boys, and shouted and laughed all day long. 
His father and mother loved to hear his merry 
voice and happy laughter. 

“But one day the house was very still, for 
the little boy laughed and shouted no more. 
Instead, he was lying in bed very ill with a 
63 


64 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


fever. He grew worse and worse, until he did 
not know even his father and mother, as they 
bent lovingly over him. 

“He tossed from one side of the bed to the 
other, and moaned with the pain. The kind 
doctor had come and done all that he could, but 
he could not make the little boy better. The 
poor father and mother were very sad, for they 
feared that their darling little son would die. 

“One of the neighbours, hearing that he was 
so ill, came in and said: 4 There is a wonderful 
man named Jesus, in a town near by, who is 
healing all the sick who are brought to him. 
I think that he might make your little boy 
well.’ 

“How glad the father was to hear this news! 
He did not send one of his servants to Jesus, 
for he thought, ‘If I myself go to him, perhaps 
he will return with me and heal my little son.’ 

“So he started at once, and went as fast as 
he could to the place where he had been told 
that Jesus was. When he reached it he saw a 
great crowd of people in one of the streets, and 
he felt sure that Jesus must be there. He made 
his way through the crowd as quickly as he 
could, until he reached Jesus. 

“Then he knelt down and begged him for 
help, saying: ‘My little boy is so very ill that 
I fear he will die. Will you not come and make 
him well?’ 

“As the father spoke, his eyes filled with 



“father, please tell us a story” 










JESUS HELPING A FATHER 


65 


tears, for he loved his little boy dearly. Jesus 
looked down at the poor father and he felt very 
sorry for him. 

‘ ‘ Again the father spoke, ‘ Will you not come 
quickly before my child dies?’ 

“And Jesus said, ‘Go thy way; thy son 
liveth’ (that is, ‘Go home again; your son is 
weir). 

“What wonderful words! The father saw 
that Jesus did not need to come with him. He 
knew that his little boy had been healed, even 
though Jesus had not seen him. How happy he 
was! He thanked Jesus with all his heart and 
then he went back to his home. Now he knew 
that he need not hurry, so when the darkness 
came, he stopped and spent the night in an inn, 
or small hotel. 

‘ ‘ The next morning he started once more on 
his journey and, as he was travelling, he saw 
some of his servants coming towards him. 
They were running and their faces were bright 
and happy, so he felt sure that they had good 
news to tell him. Even before they reached 
him, they called, ‘Your son liveth! your son 
liveth!’ 

“The father asked them when the little boy 
began to get better and they answered, ‘Yester¬ 
day, at one o’clock,’ which was just the time 
that Jesus had said, ‘Your son liveth.’ 

“When the father reached home he was so 
glad and thankful to find his little boy well. 


66 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


After that both he and the little boy’s mother 
loved Jesus, because he had loved them so much 
that he had made their little son well.” 

“0 father, I’m so glad Jesus made that little 
boy well, ’ ’ said Malcolm. 

“I think that father was pretty happy,” said 
Ernest. 

“I am sure that he was,” said their father, as 
he smiled lovingly at his three children. 


xm 


JESUS AND A BLIND MAN 

rpHE poor beggar was blind. Day after day 
* be sat by the side of the road, begging. 
He bad always been blind. He bad never seen 
the bright sunshine, or the tall trees with their 
leaves dancing in the breeze. He had never 
seen the green grass or the bright-coloured 
flowers. He had never seen the faces of his 
father and mother and friends. He had always 
lived in darkness. 

He was poor, too. His parents lived in a 
small, old house and they had little to eat. 
They could not do much for their blind son. 
His clothes were ragged. He was often hungry. 
Day by day his father or mother or some friend 
took him to a place where people passed by. 
There he sat down. 

As the people passed he asked them to help 
him. “Please give me something/’ he said. 
“I am blind. I have always been blind. I can¬ 
not work. Please help me.” 

Some people hurried by. They did not notice 
the blind man. Others pitied him. They spoke 
kindly to him. They gave him a little money. 
67 


68 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


As he grew older he could walk without help 
from his friends. He had a strong stick with 
which he felt his way along. Each day he found 
a place by the road and sat down. When he 
heard the people passing he begged for help. 

It was pleasanter out of doors than in his poor 
home. He could hear the songs of birds. He 
could smell the sweet flowers. He could feel 
the breeze blowing against his face. Some days 
he heard the whistling of the wind. Then he 
was cold and drew his ragged cloak closer 
about him. 

Oh, how he wanted to seel “If I could only 
look at the sky,” he thought. “If I could only 
see the trees and flowers. If I could only look 
into my mother’s face.” But he thought that 
he should always be blind. 

One day some people passed by. One of 
them was a man whose voice the blind man 
heard. He had never before heard a voice that 
was so sweet and gentle. It sounded so kind. 
“Please help me,” begged the blind man. 

Jesus stopped, for it was Jesus who had the 
kind voice. Then he stooped down. He wet 
some earth and made clay. He put this on the 
blind man’s eyes. How gentle his fingers were! 
The blind man had never been touched so kindly 
before. “Go and wash in the pool near by,” 
said Jesus. 

The blind man heard Jesus’ kind words. 

‘ ‘ Will he really make me see ? ” he thought. He 


JESUS AND A BLIND MAN 


69 


went to the pool as fast as he could go. He 
felt his way along with his stick. When he 
reached the pool he stooped down. He took 
np some water and bathed his eyes. The sticky 
clay was washed off and his eyes opened. He 
could see! 

He could hardly believe that he was awake. 
He thought that he must be dreaming. He 
rose to his feet. He was not asleep. It was 
really true that his eyes were opened! There 
was the blue sky over his head. There were the 
green trees and the bright flowers. There were 
the sunbeams dancing on the water of the pool. 
He could really see! 

He hurried to his home. He wanted to tell 
his father and mother. When they saw him 
they were so surprised. ‘ ‘ Can this be our son , 9 ’ 
they said, “with his eyes open!” Then they 
asked him, “Who made you see?” 

Their son told them of the man who put clay 
on his eyes and told him to wash in the pool. 
“When I washed, my eyes opened,” he said, 
“and I could see!” 

How happy his mother and father were! 
Nothing else could have made them so glad. 
Whom do you think the beggar wanted to find? 
He wanted to find the man who had made him 
well. He wanted to look in his kind face. He 
was sure that he would know his voice. He 
went along the streets looking for him. 

As he passed, the people saw him. One of 


70 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


them asked, “Isn’t this the beggar who was 
blind?” 

Another said: “Oh, no, it isn’t he. This man 
only looks like him.” 

But the beggar said, “I am the man.” 

How surprised the people were! “How did 
you get your sight?” they asked. 

The beggar told them what Jesus had done. 
“Who was the man who made you see?” asked 
the people. 

“I do not know,” answered the beggar. 

On he went, hunting for the man with the 
gentle, kind voice. Jesus had been to church 
and, as he came out, he looked for the beggar. 
Soon he found him. “Do you love and trust 
God’s Son?” asked Jesus. 

The blind man knew Jesus’ voice. Oh, how 
he loved him! “Who is God’s Son?” he asked. 

“I am Jesus, God’s own Son,” said Jesus. 

The beggar knelt down. He bent over and 
kissed the robe that Jesus wore. 4 4 0 my Lord, ’ ’ 
he said, “I love you. I will always trust and 
obey you. ’ ’ 

Jesus smiled upon him, and the beggar was 
happier than he had ever been in all his life. 


XIV 


JESUS HEALING A SICK BOY 

T N a country far from here there once lived a 
* little boy. He was a happy little fellow. 
He liked to run and play as little boys do now. 
He liked to be out of doors as all boys do. 
There were no boys living near him, so he 
played with his dog. They had fine romps 
together. 

He made friends with the birds, too. He was 
so kind to them that they were not afraid of 
him. He was careful never to frighten them. 
He threw them crumbs and sometimes they flew 
to him and ate out of his hand. 

The little boy’s father and mother had no 
other children and they loved him dearly. It 
made them happy to look at his bright face and 
hear his merry laugh. But one day he was 
taken ill. His mother and father did all they 
could for him but he did not get better. They 
sent for a doctor. He could not make him well. 

After a time other doctors were called but 
his dreadful disease was not cured. Sometimes 
he seemed better. He was well enough to go 
out of doors. But then he would be ill again 
71 


72 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


and his father and mother did not know what 
to do for him. He grew to be quite a big boy 
but he still had this dreadful illness. 

One day a friend came to the house and said 
to his father: “There is a great Teacher, 
named Jesus, who is doing wonderful things. 
He touches the eyes of the blind and makes 
them see. He opens the ears of the deaf so 
they can hear. He makes the lame walk and 
heals those who are ill with different diseases. 
I believe that he could help your little boy.” 

Oh, how glad the father was to hear of this 
great healer! He learned that Jesus was in a 
town not far away. He started at once, taking 
his little sick boy with him. When he came 
to the place where Jesus had been he found 
that Jesus had gone away with some of his 
disciples. 

“He is up on the mountain,” said the people, 
“but we think that he will come down again 
soon. Here are some of his disciples. Perhaps 
they can help your little boy . 9 9 

The father took his sick boy to the disciples 
and they tried to help him but they could not 
make him well. “We are sorry,” they said, 
“for we should like to help you. You must 
wait until Jesus comes.” 

The poor father waited but he was very eager 
to have Jesus come, for he wanted his son made 
well. At last the people called out, “Jesus is 
coming! Jesus is coming ! 9 9 


JESUS HEALING A SICK BOY 


73 


The father looked up and there were Jesus 
and three of his disciples, Peter, James and 
John. “Take your sick boy to Jesus,’’ said the 
people, “and he will make him well.” 

The father took his little boy and hurried to 
Jesus. He knelt down and said: “Won’t you 
heal my son, Lord? He has a dreadful disease. 
I brought him to your disciples but they could 
not help him. ’ ’ 

“How long has he had this illness?” Jesus 
asked. 

“Ever since he was a little child,” the father 
answered. 

“Do you think that I can make him well?” 
asked Jesus. 

“I am sure that you can,” said the father. 

Then Jesus healed the illness and the boy was 
well! How lovingly the little fellow looked at 
Jesus! How glad he was to be well! And how 
astonished all the people were! I know that 
Jesus was glad that he could help the little boy. 
I am sure that it made him happy to see his 
bright face. 

At first the father was so surprised that he 
could not speak. Once more he knelt down. He 
thanked Jesus for answering his prayer and 
making his son well. Then, taking his son by 
the hand, he returned to his home. 

The mother was waiting there. Oh, how 
eager she was to know if Jesus had helped her 
dear little son! When she saw that he had been 


74 SUNDAY STORY HOUR 

cured tears of joy filled her eyes. She clasped 
her little boy close in her arms. “0 my darling 
little son,” she said, u Iamso glad that you are 
well.” 



XV 


JESUS AND THE CHILDBEN 

TESUS was tired. He had had no time to 
rest. All day the people had been with 
him—such crowds of people—coming close 
around him. So many had needed help and he 
had helped them all. He loved them and was 
so sorry for them. 

He was always glad to touch the eyes of the 
blind so that they could see the beautiful things 
our heavenly Father had made, and to open the 
ears of the deaf so that they could hear the 
sweet songs of the birds, the music of brooks 
and the voices of their friends. 

Some of the sick people could not speak and 
it gave Jesus joy to touch their lips so they 
could talk and laugh like other people. 

Then Jesus had talked to the people. He had 
told them stories which they always liked to 
hear. He had tried to help them to be unselfish 
toward others and to obey our heavenly Father, 
but often they forgot and did wrong things. 

Even his disciples, who had been with him so 
long, did not always understand what he tried 
75 


76 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


to teach them, though he answered their ques¬ 
tions and tried to make them know and love 
our heavenly Father. And so he felt tired and 
sad. 

Just then Jesus heard a little child’s laugh. 
How sweet it sounded! Jesus smiled as he 
listened. Then he heard children’s voices and 
another merry little laugh. They were coming 
nearer. Yes, there they were—many children 
> with their mothers. Jesus was glad that they 
were coming to him, for he loved children very 
much. 

But what was happening? The disciples 
were speaking to the mothers. They were tell¬ 
ing them to go away. The mothers looked sad, 
the children laughed no more. 

Jesus went toward them. “You do not un¬ 
derstand,” he said to his disciples. “Suffer 
little children to come unto me” (or “Let them 
come to me), for I love them very much.” 

Then Jesus sat down. He took a little baby 
in his arms. The baby put a soft little hand on 
his face and smiled back at him. How sweet 
she was! Jesus loved to hold her. 

Then he put her back into her mother’s arms 
and took another and another until he had held 
each little baby. On each little head he had 
laid his loving hand as he asked our heavenly 
Father to give his blessing. 

And not a single baby was frightened and not 
a single baby cried. Instead, they smiled at 


JESUS AND THE CHILDREN 77 

Jesus who was looking so tenderly down at 
them. 

The children came close about him. They 
knew that he loved them. Children always know 
who is their friend. They nestled their heads 
on his shoulder, they put their arms about him, 
they smiled up into his kind face. 

And Jesus put his hands on their heads, one 
after another, and asked our heavenly Father 
to take care of them and to help them to be 
loving and good. 

It made Jesus happy to have the babies and 
little children with him. The sad look went out 
of his face. He was tired no longer. The 
children had rested him. 

On another day Jesus had to go to a big city. 
He sent his disciples to get him the colt of an 
ass to ride on, for he was tired. He did not 
want to walk. They brought a little colt that 
had never before been ridden. 

The man who owned him was glad to let the 
disciples take him when he heard that Jesus 
wanted to ride, for he loved Jesus. The dis¬ 
ciples were sorry that Jesus was tired. They 
put their cloaks on the colt to make a comfort¬ 
able seat for him. 

As he rode along the people saw him. They 
were surprised to see him ride, for he usually 
walked. They loved him and wanted to do 
something for him, so they spread their long 
cloaks of red, blue and yellow in the road, that 


78 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


Jesus might have a bright carpet upon which 
to ride. 

They broke off the long, feathery branches 
from the palm trees and threw them down be¬ 
fore Jesus. They waved palm branches in their 
hands as they sang, 4 ‘Hosanna! Hosanna! 
Praise Him! Praise Him!” 

Children, too, went with him, and again Jesus 
smiled as he saw their faces, which were bright 
like the sunshine, and heard their sweet voices, 
singing, “Praise Him! Praise Him!” 

They came close to him and looked lovingly 
up into his face. How sweetly and clearly their 
voices rang out! Jesus loved to hear them. He 
was sad and tired no more. Again the children 
had rested him. 


XVI 


LEARNING TO PRAY 

W E’RE all ready for bed, mother,” called 
Alice. 4 ‘Will you come up now?” 

“Yes, dear,” replied her mother, “I will come 
at once.” 

When mother came she sat down near the 
bed and Alice and Florence, in their white 
night dresses, knelt at her knee while they 
prayed: 

“ ‘Jesus, Friend of little children, 

Be a Friend to me; 

Take my hand and ever keep me 
Close to thee.’ ” 

“Please bless father and mother and all my 
friends. Make me a good girl. Amen,” said 
Alice. 

“Make Flossie dood dirl,” prayed little 
Florence. 

When the prayers had been said, Florence 
climbed into mother’s lap and Alice sat by her 
side. “Tell us a story, mother, please,” they 
begged. 


79 


80 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


4 ‘ Would you like to hear how Jesus prayed to 
God?” asked their mother. 

“0 mother, did Jesus pray just as we do?” 
asked Alice eagerly. 

“Yes, dear, I am sure that his mother taught 
him to pray when he was a little child, and when 
he grew to he a man he used to pray to God 
every day. I think that he was never so happy 
as when he was talking to the heavenly Father. 

“When he was tired he would often go up 
alone on a mountain, and there he would stay 
for a long time, praying to God. Once he spent 
the whole night talking to the heavenly Father 
and I think that it rested him more than if he 
had slept. 

“Do you remember the little boy who gave 
his lunch to Jesus?” 

‘ ‘ Oh, yes, mother,’ 9 said Alice. ‘ 4 It was when 
Jesus fed so many people.” 

“Jesus wanted the people to remember that 
our heavenly Father gives us our food, so, be¬ 
fore he broke the bread and fish, he raised his 
eyes to heaven and thanked God.” 

“We thank him, too, don’t we, mother, before 
we eat?” said Alice. 

“Yes, dear, what is it that we say?” asked 
her mother. 

“God is great and God is good, 

And we thank him for our food,” 



THE EVENING PRAYER 


' 





LEARNING TO PRAY 


81 


said Alice softly. “Pm glad Jesus, too, said 
4 thank you. ’ ’’ 

‘‘When Jesus was in trouble,” said her 
mother, “he asked God to help him. When he 
was happy he thanked God. Many times each 
day he talked to our heavenly Father. 

“But when he asked God for anything he 
always said, 4 Not my will hut thine he done,’ 
that is, ‘Give this to me if it is best for me to 
have it.’ 

“Jesus’ disciples (the men who loved him 
and who helped him in his work) used often to 
see Jesus praying. One day they came to him 
and said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ 

“Before Jesus did this he talked to his dis¬ 
ciples about our heavenly Father. ‘God knows 
what you need,’ he told them, ‘even before you 
ask him and he will give you what is best for 
you to have. But he likes to have you go away 
by yourself and pray to him.’ 

“Then Jesus taught them a prayer which I 
want you both to learn, little girls, when you 
are older. I will tell you a little about it now. 

“It begins, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven,’ 
and when we say the words we think of our lov¬ 
ing Father in heaven, who is always ready to 
help us. 

“Do you think that the angels please God, 
Alice?” 

“Oh, yes, mother, I am sure they do,” replied 
the little girl. 


82 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“ Jesus taught Ms disciples/ ’ said mother, 
“to ask God to help them to do what pleased 
him, just as the angels do in heaven. ‘Thy 
will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ were 
the words he taught them. 

“Then he said, ‘Before you pray, you must be 
loving and kind to others. If you are angry 
with any one and are not willing to forgive 
him, then God cannot forgive the wrong things 
which you have done. This is what I want you 
to pray, Forgive us our debts (the things we 
do that are wrong), as we forgive our debtors 
(those who do wrong things to us).’ 

“For many, many years people have said 
this prayer which Jesus taught to his disciples, 
and it has helped them to be loving and good. 
Now you must jump into bed, little girls.” 

As mother tucked the covers about the chil¬ 
dren and kissed them good-night, Alice said, 
“Tell me the first part of that prayer again, 
please, mother.” 

“ ‘Our Father, who art in heaven/ ” said her 
mother. 

‘ ‘ ‘ Our Father, who art in heaven , 9 9 9 repeated 
Alice, “please bless me.” 

“Faver in heaven, bess me,” said little 
Florence. 

And the stars which shone into the room 
seemed to be bringing them a good-night bless¬ 
ing from our heavenly Father. 

When the little girls awoke the next morning 


LEARNING TO PRAY 


83 


Alice jumped out of bed and dressed quickly. 
After she had helped Florence to dress she 
knelt and prayed: 

“ Jesus, gentle Shepherd, 

Once a little child, 

Help me to be like thee, 

Loving, true and mild. 

“Now the morning cometh, 

With its work and play; 

Be thou, loving Jesus, 

With me all the day.”* 

After breakfast Alice ran out of doors to 
play. She was pushing her dolly in its carriage 
when Brewster, a big boy who lived near, 
came by. 

“Hello, Alice/’ he cried, “let me give your 
doll a ride.” 

Quick as a wink he seized the carriage and, 
lifting it high, he ran off with it. Alice ran 
after him, screaming, “Give me back my 
dolly! ’ ’ 

But Brewster, who wanted to tease her, ran 
faster than she could and was soon out of sight. 
Alice turned and went back to her mother, cry¬ 
ing loudly. “Oh, mother, he’s a horrid bad 
boy,” she sobbed, “and I hate him. I’ll never 
forgive him, never, neverl" 

Mother took her little girl in her lap and 

*From “A Morning Prayer,” in “Hymns for the 
King’s Children.” By permission of the author, Edward 
M. Fuller, owner of the copyright. 


84 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


rocked her gently. Then she brought some cool 
water and sponged her hot face. “I am sorry 
that Brewster was so rude,” she said. “But I 
think that he only wanted to tease you. I am 
very sure that he won’t hurt your dolly and 
will soon bring it back to you.’ ’ 

“But, mother, I didn’t do a thing to him and 
he was as mean as he could be. I’ll never for¬ 
give him! ’ ’ 

“Do you remember, Alice,” said her mother, 
“when you cut up mother’s ribbon to make a 
dress for your doll? It was ribbon that I 
needed and what if I had said, ‘Alice is so 
naughty that I’ll never forgive her.’ Mother 
didn’t say that, did she, dear?” 

“Oh, no, mother,” replied the little girl. 

“Our heavenly Father forgives us when we 
do wrong and you remember that in the prayer 
he gave his disciples he taught them to say, 
‘Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 
debtors.’ You cannot say that prayer, dear, 
unless you forgive Brewster.” 

“I will forgive him, mother,” said the little 
girl. “Oh, see! There he is now.” 

“Here’s your doll, Alice,” called Brewster. 
“I was only teasing you when I ran away 
with it.” 

Alice took her doll in her arms and said, “I 
will forgive you, Brewster. ’ ’ Then, as Brewster 
ran off, she asked, “Now, mother, I can say 
Jesus’ prayer, can’t I?” 


LEARNING TO PRAY 


85 


“Yes, dear,” replied her mother; “would you 
like to learn that part now! It is ‘Forgive us 
our debts,’—you remember that I said that 
means the things we do that are wrong—‘as 
we forgive our debtors,’ that is, those who do 
wrong things to us. ‘Forgive us our debts, as 
we forgive our debtors.’ ” 

Alice knelt and said the prayer. Then 
mother said, “I am sure that it makes Jesus 
happy to have you loving and forgiving.” 


XVII 


SUNDAY, THE CHILDREN *S BEST DAY 

O NCE there were two little boys named 
Robert and Arthur. They lived in a 
pretty house in a country town and all through 
the week they had happy plays together out in 
the big yard or up in their pleasant playroom. 
But when Sunday came they had the happiest 
times of all. 

44 When is our best day coming, mother?” 
they would often ask. 

There were many things to make them happy 
on Sunday. There were toys which were kept 
in the “Sunday closet” all the week. These 
were a Noah’s ark, some beautiful blocks, books 
with such pretty pictures in them, a kaleido¬ 
scope, in which they liked to watch the changing 
colours and figures, and other things. 

Then there was Sunday school, to which 
they liked to go, and once in a great while, when 
they had been very good all the week, they went 
to church, also. “When you are older you may 
go every Sunday,” said mother, and the boys 
wished they could grow old faster. 

Then, best of all, father was at home, and 
86 


SUNDAY—THE BEST DAY 


87 


they could be with him. On other days they 
saw him only at breakfast and for a few mo¬ 
ments before they went to bed at night, because 
he had to work. ‘ ‘ Sunday, 9 * father said, ‘‘ is the 
beautiful day our heavenly Father has given me 
for a rest, and so I need not work.” 

He often told the boys stories Sunday after¬ 
noons and sometimes these stories were of the 
time, long, long ago, when our world was made. 
He told them how God made the water and 
land, the light and darkness, the trees and 
bushes, the grass and flowers, the birds and fish 
and all the animals, and last of all, Adam and 
Eve. 

“After God had finished his work,” said fa¬ 
ther, “he saw that it was good. Everything 
that he had made was beautiful and perfect. 
Then God rested and because it was so pleasant 
to rest after work, he planned a rest day. ‘I 
will have one day/ God said, ‘when people may 
rest and do no work. It shall be my day and 
on it every one may think of me/ 

“So God made this beautiful day and called 
it the sabbath. This is the day we now call 
Sunday, and because God made it, father need 
not work but can stay at home with mother and 
with you boys.” 

“0 father, I’m glad God made Sunday,” 
said Robert. 

“So am I,” said Arthur. 

“Would you like to take a walk with me 


88 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


now?” asked father, “while mother lies down? 
We might go and see your little friend Edwin 
who sprained his foot.” 

The boys were glad to go and Robert asked, 
“May we take him some of our Sunday candy, 
father?” 

Every Saturday father brought home some 
candy which the boys liked and which they had 
only on Sunday. Father was glad that Robert 
wanted to share it with his little friend. “Yes, 
you may take it and Arthur may carry some 
oranges to Edwin.” 

The boys liked to walk with father for he 
showed them so many interesting things—birds' 
nests, and ant-hills, and bees gathering honey— 
and he always had stories to tell about them 

all. 

At last they reached Edwin's home and oh, 
how glad he was to see his visitors! He had 
found it hard to be shut in with his sprained 
foot when he wanted to run about and play. He 
was much pleased with the candy and oranges 
which the boys had brought and they had a 
happy visit together. 

As father and the boys were going home 
father saw something lying in the grass. ‘ 6 What 
is that, I wonder,” he said. 

As he stooped to pick it up the little thing 
tried to fly and father saw that it was a bird 
with a hurt wing. “We'll take it home, boys,” 
he said, “and I think that I can bind up the 


SUNDAY—THE BEST DAY 


89 


wing so the little bird can soon fly. Then we 
will set it free, for it would rather live out of 
doors.” 

When they reached home father carefully 
bound up the wing and then the boys fed the 
little bird some crumbs. 

“Will you help me get supper now, boys?” 
asked mother. 

“Oh, yes, mother,” they answered. 

They always liked to help her get the supper 
ready. Other nights they had their supper be¬ 
fore father came home, but on Sunday, when the 
maid went out, they had an early tea, so they 
could all be together. There was always some¬ 
thing the hoys especially liked—jelly, cunning 
little cakes, or something else. The hoys called 
this their “Sunday surprise.” 

After supper mother played the songs they 
sang in Sunday school, ‘ 4 Little Lambs so White 
and Fair,” the “Sunbeam Song,” “Praise 
Him,” and others, and they all sang them. 

When the boys went to bed that night they 
knelt down to pray to our heavenly Father. 
Robert said, “Thank thee, heavenly Father, for 
our best day.” 

As mother tucked the little hoys in bed 
Arthur said, “0 mother, Sunday is such a 
happy day. I wish it came every day . 9 9 

“I am glad that you like it so much, little 
son, ’ 9 replied his mother. 


XVIII 


SUNDAY SUNBEAMS 

O NCE there were two little sisters named 
Lois and Amy. They had happy times 
playing together and with the children who 
lived near them. 

When Sunday came they liked to go to Sun¬ 
day school. The little beginners met in a large, 
sunny room where there were beautiful pictures 
on the walls, pretty curtains at the windows and 
sweet flowers on the table. 

The teacher, Miss Mason, had such a bright 
face and was so loving that the children always 
liked to be with her. They especially liked to 
hear her tell stories. One Sunday she told them 
what Jesus did when the sabbath (or Sunday) 
came. 

“When Jesus lived on this earth/’ she said, 
“people did not know what our loving heavenly 
Father wanted them to do on the sabbath. 
Their leaders told them that God said that they 
must not work, and that it would be working 
even to help a little sick child or a man who 
was in trouble. 


90 


SUNDAY SUNBEAMS 


91 


“It is not pleasant to have some one say, 
‘Don't do this/ and ‘Don't do that/ all the 
time, is it, children? There were so many 
things the people were told not to do on the 
sabbath that they were not always happy on 
this day. 

“Jesus was troubled because people did not 
love the sabbath, which is our heavenly Father ’s 
own day, and because they were not kind to 
each other, when this day came. He tried to 
show them what they should do. 

“He always went to church, which he called 
his Father’s house, and I know that he liked to 
go. He used to talk or preach to the people, 
as our minister does, telling them of our heav¬ 
enly Father and showing them how they could 
please him. 

‘ ‘ One sabbath he went to church with his dis¬ 
ciples. While he was there he saw a man whose 
right hand was hurt so that he could not use it. 
The leaders had told the people, you remember, 
that it was not right to help any one on the 
sabbath and now they asked Jesus, ‘Is it right 
to heal on the sabbath day?’ 

“Jesus answered: ‘If you had one sheep 
and it should fall into a pit, or deep hole, on 
the sabbath, would you not lift it out? If you 
would help a sheep, isn’t it much better to help 
a man?’ 

“The leaders did not answer Jesus and he 


92 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


was grieved because they did not say that it 
was right to help others. He turned to the man 
whose hand was hurt and said, ‘Hold out your 
hand.’ 

“And the man held it out and Jesus healed 
it. Oh, how glad he was! I am sure that he 
thanked Jesus for making his hand well and 
that he praised God. I know that was the very 
happiest sabbath he had ever had. 

“On another sabbath day Jesus laid his lov¬ 
ing hands on a woman who had been ill for a 
long time and made her well. On other sab¬ 
baths he touched a blind man’s eyes so that he 
could see, and he healed the sick who were 
brought to him, for he wanted to teach the peo¬ 
ple that it was always right to help others on 
God’s day.” 

When Miss Mason had finished her story she 
said: “Now let us ask our heavenly Father to 
make us kind. Please say the words after me.” 
Then she and the children prayed: “Dear 
Father, may we help some one to-day. May 
we always love Sunday. Thank thee for giving 
us this beautiful day. Amen.” 

Then Miss Mason said: “I want to give you 
a little verse, and when you tell this story to 
mother and father will you tell them the verse, 
too? It is, ‘Be ye kind one to another.’ ” 

After the children had learned the verse, they 
sang the “Sunbeam Song”: 


SUNDAY SUNBEAMS 


93 


“Darkness, darkness, flee away, 

This is what the sunbeams say, 

When they come at dawn of day, 

Bringing light and gladness. 

Chorus 

“I would be a merry sunbeam shining, 

Shining all the day; 

Clouds and darkness I would scatter 
With my brightest ray. 

“I would like the sunbeam say, 

Darkness, darkness, flee away; 

Into some sad heart to-day 
Send a ray of gladness. 

Chorus 

“Little deeds of love I’ll do, 

Words I’ll speak so kind and true, 

Thus I’ll be the whole day through, 

Like a sunbeam shining,” * 

Chorus 

c ‘Try and be sunbeams to-day, children,” 
said Miss Mason, as she bade them good-bye. 

When Lois and Amy reached home they told 
their mother the story. Then Lois asked, 
“Can’t we be sunbeams and do something kind 
to please Jesus to-day, mother?” 

“I wish we could help sick people as he did,” 
said Amy. 

“Do you know of any one who is ill?” asked 
their mother. 

“Yes, mother, you know Susie broke her 
arm,” answered Amy. 

* “Sunbeam Song,” by Mrs. A. C. Blodgett. Published 
in leaflet form by P. W. Blackmer. Used by permission of 
Mr. Blackmer, owner of the copyright. 


94 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“Well, I wonder if you can think of anything 
to make her happy,’’ said mother. “I think 
that happy people get well faster than those 
who are sad.” 

“I can take her one of my picture books,” 
said Amy—“the one I like best, with pictures of 
Jesus.” 

“And I can take her some of the pansies in 
my garden,” said Lois. “I’m sure they will 
make her happy.” 

“Yes, I know that she would like both the 
flowers and the book, ’ ’ said their mother, ‘ ‘ and 
I will send her some lemon jelly. After dinner 
I will give you some picture post cards and you 
may both paste them into a book, and then take 
that to her, for her to keep. Father will go with 
you and carry the jelly.” 

After dinner the little girls worked hard, 
pasting the pretty post cards into the book that 
mother gave them. They were very careful not 
to get any paste on the pictures, for they wanted 
the book to look pretty. When all the cards 
were in, Lois picked her pansies and Amy found 
her book. 

Then father took them to their little friend’s 
home. Susie was so pleased with the book, and 
she liked the pansies with their bright little 
faces. “I’ll make believe they’re children play¬ 
ing with me,” she said. 

The three little girls looked at the post cards 
together and then father told them a story. 


SUNDAY SUNBEAMS 


95 


“Now it is time to go home, little girls/’ he said. 
“Bid Susie good-bye and after we are gone she 
can have the jelly that mother sent.” 

That night, as mother was putting the little 
girls to bed, Lois said, ‘ ‘ 0 mother, it was such 
a happy Sunday!” 

“I’m going to do something kind every Sun¬ 
day, just as Jesus did,” said Amy. 

“I’m glad that my little girls were like sun¬ 
beams to-day,” said their mother. “I’m sure 
that you made Susie happy and I know that you 
pleased Jesus, also.” 


XIX 


THE HELPEKS 

I T was Sunday afternoon. Mother had been 
reading to the children the story of Samuel 
and of how he helped Eli in the temple. 

“I wish that I could help some one, mother,’’ 
said Walter. 

“Me, too,” said little Grace. 

“0 mother, can’t you think of something 
that we can all do V ’ asked Evelyn. 

“I have thought of a plan,” said father, who 
was sitting near. “To-morrow we’ll all keep 
our eyes and ears open and be ready to help 
any one who needs us. Then to-morrow night 
we’ll tell what we have done.” 

“Oh, that will be fun, father. I hope I can 
find some one to help,” said Walter. 

The next morning, as father kissed them all 
good-bye, he said, “Don’t forget that we are 
to be helpers to-day.” 

“No, father, I’ll remember,” said Evelyn. 
“Me, too,” said little Grace. 

As Evelyn went along the street to school 
she passed a house. She looked up and there 
at the window sat an old lady. “Oh, I know 
96 


THE HELPERS 


97 


what I’ll do,” thought Grace. “I’ll take some¬ 
thing to Mrs. Randolph this afternoon. It must 
he hard for her to sit in a chair all day long.” 

When Evelyn went home at noon she said: 
“Mother, don’t you think that it would he a 
nice plan for me to pick some flowers from my 
garden for old Mrs. Randolph? I’d like to help 
her.” 

“Yes, dear,” said her mother, “and I’ll send 
her a glass of jelly.” 

That afternoon, when Evelyn came home 
from school, she picked some pansies, nastur- 
tions and sweet peas. Then she took these and 
the jelly to the old lady. How pleased she was! 

“You were good to think of me, my dear 
child,” she said. 

“I think that it must he hard to sit still all 
day,” said Evelyn. “When I pass your house, 
as I go to school, I’ll wave to you after this.” 

“Very well, I’ll be looking out of the window 
watching for you, my dear,” said Mrs. Ran¬ 
dolph. “These flowers will make me happy for 
many days. Please thank your mother for the 
jelly.” 

As Walter was coming home from school that 
afternoon he heard some one crying. He was 
in a hurry, for he was going to play ball with 
some boys, so he ran on without stopping. But 
in a moment he thought, “Perhaps that’s some 
one I can help.” 

So he ran hack to see who was crying. There 


98 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


stood a little boy with tears rolling down Ms 
face. “What’s the matter?” asked Walter. 

“I’ve lost my money,” sobbed the child. 
“Mother sent me to buy some bread.” 

“Where did it go?” asked Walter. 

“It rolled nnder this board,” said the child. 

Walter stooped down and looked through the 
crack in the sidewalk. Sure enough, there was 
the dime. “Wait a moment and I’ll get it,” he 
said. 

He quickly found a long stick and poked and 
poked until he had pushed the money out. 
“There you are,” he said. 

“Thank you,” said the child, as he ran off 
to buy the bread. 

“Me want to help,” said little Grace that 
morning to her mother. 

“You shall help mother, pet,” said mother. 
“Would you like to wipe the dishes?” 

“Yes, muvver,” said the child. 

So little Grace wiped the spoons and forks, 
while mother washed the dishes. Then mother 
said, “Now come and we’ll make the beds 
together.” 

Grace patted and smoothed the sheets and 
blankets, as mother spread them. 

That night, after supper, father asked, 
“Well, what did the helpers do to-day?” 

Then Evelyn told of the old lady to whom she 
took the flowers and jelly. ‘ 4 She was so pleased, 
father, and she’s going to watch for me when I 


THE HELPERS 


99 


go to school, and I’m going to wave to her.” 

“Pm glad that yon could make her happy, 
dear,” said father, “for it is hard not to be 
able to walk or go out of doors. What did you 
do, Walter?” 

“I helped a little boy, father,” he replied. 
And then he told of the lost money which he 
had helped to find. 

“That was a kind thing to do, my son,” said 
his father. “I think that the little boy was 
glad there was a helper around. What did my 
baby girl do?” 

“Me made beds and wiped dishes and helped 
so much,” said little Grace, holding out her 
arms to show how much she had helped. 

“Yes, she was mother’s dear little helper,” 
said mother. 

“Now do you want to hear what I did?” 
asked father. “You know that I, too, was play¬ 
ing the helping game.” 

“Oh, yes, father, do tell us,” said the chil¬ 
dren. 

“A man came to me in trouble,” said father. 
“He has a wife and four children. He has had 
no work for a long time and did not know what 
to do. I remembered a friend of mine who 
wanted another clerk, so I took the man to him. 
I think that he will be the very one my friend 
wants.” 

“I think the man was glad that you were a 
helper, father,” said Evelyn. 


100 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“Now, mother, let us hear how you played 
the game,” said father. 

“I cooked the meals, and mended some 
clothes for father and for you children, and 
made the rooms neat and pretty,’ ’ said mother. 

“0 mother, you’re a helper every day, 
aren’t you?” said Walter. 

‘ ‘ It always makes me happy to do things for 
each one of you,” answered mother. 

“Let’s play the helping game every day,” 
said Evelyn. 

“I will,” said Walter. 

“Me, too,” said little Grace. 


XX 


LITTLE BUILDERS 

r | ^HE children were having a tea party out 
A in the yard. Sylvia had brought her two 
dolls and Sewall had his Teddy bear and his 
boy doll. The boy doll didn’t wish any tea, so 
he sat on the ground, while the others came to 
the table. 

“Will you have some tea?” asked Sylvia. 

“Yes, please,” said Sewall. 

Sylvia poured it out carefully and passed the 
cup to her little brother. 

“This is very delicious tea,” be said, as be 
drank it. 

“Oh, there’s an ant come for tea,” said 
Sylvia, as a little black creature ran across the 
table. 

“Let’s see if we can find its home,” cried 
Sewall. 

The children hunted and soon found a little 
mound. As they watched, many little ants ran 
back and forth over the ant hill. 

“Let’s get grandma to tell us a story about 
them,” said Sylvia. 


101 


102 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“ Shall we take the dollies ?” asked her 
brother. 

“No, Teddy will take care of them. Wait, 
I’ll pour them some tea and they can have a 
party while we are gone.’ 9 

So she poured out a cup for each doll and 
told Teddy to watch them carefully. Then 
both children ran into the house. “Grandma! 
grandma!” they called. 

“What is it, dears?” said grandma. 

“Won’t you tell us a story about ants?” 
asked Sylvia. “Just now a little ant ran across 
the table where we were having a tea party . 9 9 

“Yes,” said Sewall, “and we hunted and 
found the ant hill and there were ever so many 
ants running back and forth.” 

“Very well,” said grandma. “If you will 
sit down, I will tell you a story about them. 

“She was just a little ant,” said grandma, 
“but she had ever so much work to do. There 
were babies to feed and take out into the sun¬ 
shine. There were cows to milk. There were 
tiny ants to help out of their cradles. There 
was honey to find and bring home. There was 
the house to make neat. But the little ant didn’t 
get discouraged. She just went right to work. 

“She didn’t live in a house like ours. Her 
house was under the ground. She had helped 
to build it. First she and her sisters had 
cleared a place for it. They didn’t have to cut 
down trees as people do. But they had to cut 



THE TEA-PARTY 


















































LITTLE BUILDERS 


103 


down grass instead. And I think that it must 
be as hard for a tiny ant to cut a blade of grass 
as for a man to chop a tree. 

“This little ant did not have an axe with 
which to cut but, instead, she used her mouth. 
She and her sisters cut down one blade of grass 
after another until they had a round space. 
From this they made roads leading in different 
directions. 

“In the centre of this open space they made 
the gate to their house. Then they dug down 
into the ground. They had to take out the sand 
and each little ant could carry only one grain of 
sand at a time. But they worked and worked, 
bringing up the grains of sand and leaving them 
above the ground. 

“As these grains were piled one on top of 
another they made quite a mound, or little hill. 
As you know, children, we call these hills ant 
hills. The little ant and her sisters made rooms 
and halls in their underground house. They 
worked hard day after day until the house was 
all nicely made. 

“The little ant and her sisters and brothers 
had a queen. This queen laid many tiny white 
eggs. These eggs had to be carried out into the 
sun each morning and brought back into the 
house at night. When the eggs were hatched 
what do you suppose came out? Not ants, but 
little white grubs. 

“They hadn’t any legs, so the little ant and 


104 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


her sisters had to carry them. They needed the 
sunshine to help them to grow, just as little chil¬ 
dren need it. On sunny days the little ant and 
her sisters carried all these ant babies out into 
the sunshine, and at night they brought them 
back into the house, just as they carried the 
eggs. 

“The babies had to be fed, so the little ant 
and her sisters gathered honey and other food 
for them. When the grubs, or ant babies, had 
grown as big as the ants they went to sleep. 
They wrapped themselves in tiny cocoons, just 
as the caterpillars do. For many days they 
lay asleep and when they woke up they were 
not grubs anymore. They were ants. 

‘ ‘ But they could not get out of their cocoons, 
or cradles, without help. The little ant and 
her sisters were glad to help them, They un¬ 
folded the little legs and smoothed out the wings 
until the baby ants could walk about by them¬ 
selves. Wings, I said, for the queen and some 
of the other ants had wings at first, but after 
a time their wings dropped off. Then they 
looked just like the ants you have just seen, 
children. 

‘ ‘ There are many other things I could tell you 
about ants, but I must leave them for another 
story.” 

“Thank you, grandma,” said Sylvia. “Will 
you tell us some more to-morrow?” 

“Oh, please do,” said Sewall. 


LITTLE BUILDERS 


105 


“Yes, I’ll be glad to do so,” said grandma. 
“Let’s go and watch the ants again,” said 
Sylvia, 

“Yes, let’s,” said Sewall. 

Back ran the children to the ant hill and for 
a long time they watched the little black ants 
busily at work. 


XXI 


HOW THE ANTS FILLED THEIR STOREHOUSES 

G RANDMA was sitting on the porch reading 
when the children came back from a ride 
with father. 

“0 grandma, tell ns some more about the 
ants,” said Sewall. 

4 4 Would you like to hear how they milk 
their cows and fill their storehouses?” asked 
grandma. 

44 Oh, yes, please tell us,” said both children. 
44 Well, I’ll tell you some more about the same 
little ant of which I told you yesterday,” said 
grandma. 

4 4 One morning this little ant wanted to give 
the babies their breakfast. She ran out of doors 
and up a little hush where she found some of 
her cows. They didn’t look like the cows you 
have seen. They were tiny insects. 

4 4 As the little ant stroked them softly they 
each gave her a drop of honey, just as the cows 
give milk. This honey the little ant carried back 
to feed the babies. 

4 4 Then she took the babies out of doors into 
the sunshine. She had to carry them quite a 
way and perhaps she grew a little tired. But 
106 


HOW ANTS FILL STOREHOUSES 107 


she didn’t stop long to rest. She and her sis¬ 
ters took first one baby and then another, until 
all of them were out in the sunshine. Then they 
carried out the eggs, too, so they would get 
warm and hatch out. 

“Then an ant came running up and said: ‘We 
have found a fly. Come and help us bring it to 
the house.’ 

“The little ant was always glad to be help¬ 
ful, so she ran quickly to help the others. One 
ant alone could not move this dead fly, but when 
many pulled together, they brought it back to 
their house. 

“This was the ants’ meat and they were glad 
to have it to eat. When they had all finished 
their dinner the little ant and her sisters picked 
up the bits that weren’t eaten and made the 
house neat. 

“All day long the little ant helped, getting 
food, taking care of the eggs and the babies, 
and cleaning the house. When the sun went 
down, all the babies had to be brought back into 
the house. It was quite late before the little 
ant was ready^ to rest, but I know that she was 
glad to be a helper. 

“One summer day the ants had a meeting. 
One of them said: ‘It is summer now and there 
is plenty of food, but when winter comes we 
cannot find much. Let us bring the grain into 
our storehouses, so that we may have plenty 
when cold weather comes. ’ 


108 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“ ‘That is a good plan,’ said the others. ‘We 
will all help to get the grain.’ 

‘ ‘ The little ant and her sisters went out look¬ 
ing for grain and they found some grass seeds. 
‘These are good to eat,’ they said. ‘We will 
carry them to our storehouse.’ The little ant 
could carry only one tiny seed. She took it 
home and came hack for another. 

“When these seeds had been carried away 
she hunted for more. In and out of the thick 
grass she went until she found other seeds. 
Then she carried these home. Sometimes the 
way was rough. The little ant had to climb over 
blades of grass, which was hard work when she 
was carrying the heavy seed. 

‘ ‘ Sometimes there were sticks in the way and 
she had to go around them, if they were too high 
to climb over. Sometimes she had to burrow 
under a stone. On and on she went until she 
reached her home. Inside she found the little 
round hole, or room, which was to be used for 
a storehouse. Here she dropped her seed and 
ran back for another. 

“Many, many ants worked hard to gather 
these seeds and they filled one storehouse after 
another. When winter came there was plenty 
of food for all these busy workers, and for the 
queen that laid the eggs from which the babies 
came. The ants were happy together because 
they had all learned to help.” 

“0 grandma, that’s a fine story,” said Sewall. 


HOW ANTS FILL STOREHOUSES 109 

“Thank yon for telling it,” said Sylvia. 
“I’m going to help, too, like that little ant. 
When mother comes home, I’m going to ask her 
if I can do something for her.” 

“Can we help you, grandma!” asked Sewall. 
“Yes, thank you,” said grandma. “I should 
like to have you bring me my knitting which is 
on the table in my room, Sewall. And, Elsie, 
will you please bring me the case for my glasses. 
I think I left it in the library. ’ ’ 

The children ran to get the knitting and the 
case. When they brought them grandma said: 
‘ 4 Thank you both very much. You are dear lit¬ 
tle helpers. ’ ’ 


XXII 


A LITTLE ESKIMO SISTER 

S ING me a song, mother, please/’ said Dora. 

Mother gathered her little girl close in her 
arms and as she rocked her she sang: 

“The Eskimo babies are wrapped all in fur; 

They live in the north country, 

Where cold winds blow; and Jesus loves them 
Just as he loves you and me. 

“And all the dear babies, wherever they grow, 

So cunning, so precious, so wee, 

Are God’s darling children; and Jesus loves them 
Just as he loves you and me.” * 

“I like that song, mother,” said the little girl. 
“Won’t yon please tell me a story about the 
Eskimo children V’ 

“Yes,” said mother, and she began: 

“Once upon a time there was a little girl who 
lived in the funniest kind of a house. It was 
round and made of stone, and half of it was 
under the ground. The door was so small that 
to enter it one must get down and creep in on 
his hands and knees. 

* From “The World Children for Jesus,” by Margaret 
Coote Brown, and used by her kind permission. 

110 


A LITTLE ESKIMO SISTER 


111 


“The little girl had such a strange name, 
Agoonack. You couldn’t have told that she was 
a little girl, if you had seen her. You might 
have thought that she was a little bear, for 
she was dressed all in white bear-skin. She had 
leggins or trousers of fur and a little fur jacket, 
and a nice, warm, fur hood. She had boots, too, 
made of seal-skin. 

“Agoonack needed all these warm clothes, for 
she lived far up north where it is very cold 
all the time. But she wore her fur clothes only 
when she was out of doors. Just as you take 
off your heavy coat and mittens and leggins, 
when you come into the house in winter, so 
Agoonack took off her fur clothes. She did 
not need them when she came in, for a big lamp 
made the little house where she lived very 
warm. 

“What do you suppose that Agoonack had to 
eat? She had no oatmeal, no potatoes or other 
vegetables, no bread or crackers, no puddings 
and no fruit. There was nothing but meat for 
her to eat, and sometimes there was some milk 
for her to drink. 

“But where do you suppose the milk came 
from? There were no cows in that cold country. 
What animals draw Santa Claus’ sleigh?” 

“Reindeer, mother,” said Dora. 

“Well,” said her mother, “there were rein¬ 
deer in that far-away country and they gave 


112 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


the milk which little Agoonack had to drink. 
The reindeer were the horses, too, and some¬ 
times Agoonack went for a fine ride on a sled 
which a reindeer pulled. 

“All winter long it was dark out of doors, for 
the sun could not he seen. But the stars shone 
brightly, and sometimes beautiful golden and 
crimson lights were to he seen in the sky. Often 
in the winter great snowstorms came and then 
Agoonack’s house was buried in snow for sev¬ 
eral days. 

‘ ‘ Then she played with her baby brother, lit¬ 
tle Sipsu. Just as you would eat candy, they 
ate long strips of meat. But Agoonack was glad 
when the storm was over and her father could 
dig out the low doorway. Then she put on her 
warm fur clothes and went out for a ride on 
her sled. 

“What do you think pulled her little sled? 
Two little brown dogs which her father had 
given her. They went so fast that Agoonack 
had to hold on tight or she would have fallen 
off. 

“Her sled wasn’t made like your 4 flexible 
flyer.’ There was no wood of which to make 
a sled, so her father took big whalebones and 
tied them together with strips of seal-skin and 
so made a sled for his little daughter. It had 
a back for her to lean against and was very 
comfortable. 


A LITTLE ESKIMO SISTER 


113 


When the summer came the sun could he seen 
again, and oh, how glad the people were to see 
it, after they had lived in darkness so long. 
At first it could he seen only for a little while 
each day, but after a time it stayed in the sky 
and was bright even at night. 

“Then white birds came and built their nests 
in the rocks and a few little flowers grew. But 
still the great snowdrifts lay upon the ground. 

“One time a kind man went up to see the 
people who lived in that cold country. He vis¬ 
ited in Agoonack’s home and talked with her 
father and mother. When he went back to his 
home he told his friends about the little houses 
and the cold and the snowstorms. 

“ 4 These people do not know about Jesus/ he 
said, i and if you will help me, I will go back 
again and tell them of Him. I will also carry 
some things to them which will make them more 
comfortable . 9 

“All his friends helped him. Even the chil¬ 
dren gave some of their toys and books for 
those other children. They pasted picture post¬ 
cards and other pictures into scrapbooks and 
sent those, too. 

6 ‘ When this man reached the cold country how 
glad the people were to see him again! He 
opened the boxes which he had brought and 
gave the presents to the people. There were 
many things to make them more comfortable 
and they were greatly pleased. 


114 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“The children, too, were delighted with the 
gifts which had been sent to them by those other 
children—the balls and picture books and the 
scrapbooks of pretty post-cards. 

“What do you think Agoonack’s present was! 
A doll. She had never seen a doll before, and 
she thought it the best thing she had ever had. 
She hugged it tight in her arms. ‘I’m going 
to take it with me when I ride on my sled,’ she 
said, ‘and at night it can sleep close beside me.’ 

‘ ‘ Then the kind man told her about the little 
children who loved her and who had sent her the 
doll. He told her about Jesus, too, who loved 
her even more than those other children did. 
And Agoonack and her father and mother 
learned to love Jesus.” 

“0 mother, may I send something to an Es¬ 
kimo child!” asked Dora. 

“Yes, I think so, dear,” replied her mother. 
“I will go to the Missionary Rooms and I am 
sure that I can learn there of some child whom 
you can help.” * 

* The descriptions in this story are adapted from 
“Agoonack, the Esquimau Sister/’ in “Seven Little Sisters 
Who Live on the Round Ball That Floats in the Air,” by 
Jane Andrews. 


XXIII 


HOW EDNA HELPED THE CHILDREN 

F AR from here, in a country across the ocean, 
there lived a little girl named Edna. Her 
father had gone to that country to tell the peo¬ 
ple there about our heavenly Father and about 
Jesus. They did not know that God loved them. 
They had never heard that Jesus came to show 
them how to love one another. 

Edna’s father went from place to place, help¬ 
ing the people. Her mother, too, helped them. 
She went into the homes. She taught the moth¬ 
ers how to care for their babies when they were 
sick. She taught them how to love one an¬ 
other. Edna, also, wanted to help. 

Late one afternoon a poor woman came to the 
door. She had a sick child in her arms. Edna 
was just going to have her supper. She looked 
out of the window and saw the woman coming. 

“0 mother, there is a poor woman at the 
door,” she said. “She seems so tired and hun¬ 
gry and she has a child who looks sick. Mayn’t 
I give her my supper?” 

“Yes, dear, you may give it to her,” said her 
mother. 

Edna carried out her own supper and gave 
115 


116 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


it to the poor woman. She was so glad to have 
it. She gave some of it to her sick child. Some 
she ate herself. 

Edna’s mother came out to see her. “ Where 
are you going?” she asked. 

“To my brother who lives in the next town,” 
the woman replied. 

‘ ‘ Come in , 9 ’ said Edna’s kind mother. “ It is 
too late for you to go any farther to-night. You 
may sleep here.” 

The woman was very glad to come in. The 
next morning, after breakfast, she started once 
more on her journey. Edna’s mother gave her 
some food to take with her, so she should not 
be hungry again. 

Edna often went with her mother to the homes 
of the poor people. She helped carry food to 
them. She played with the children. A few 
weeks before Christmas she said to her father, 
“0 father, I wish we could have the children 
come to our house on Christmas and give them 
presents and make them happy.” 

“I wish that we might do this, little daugh¬ 
ter,” said her father, “but I have nothing to 
give them. I have so little money to spend and 
I have to use it to buy food and clothing for 
the people who are very poor.” 

That night, when Edna knelt down to pray, 
she said, “Dear Jesus, please send some pres¬ 
ents for the children at Christmas time. ’ ’ Each 
night she said this little prayer. 


HOW EDNA HELPED THE CHILDREN 117 


One day a big box came for her father. Edna 
wondered what could be in it. “Perhaps, 
mother, Jesus has sent the Christmas presents 
for the children,’’ she said. 

She could hardly wait for her father to come 
home. At last she saw him coming. He was 
tired and sad. There were so many people to 
help and he had so little to give them. 

Edna ran to the door. “Father, father, a 
box has come,” she said. “I think perhaps it 
is Christmas presents for the children. I’ve 
been asking Jesus to send them.” 

Her father smiled as he kissed her. “I hope 
that it may have some presents in it, my little 
girl,” he said. 

He opened the box and oh, what a beautiful 
surprise he found! There were many dolls, and 
the very prettiest one was marked, “For little 
Edna.” The little girl danced about and 
clapped her hands. Then she hugged her new 
dolly. 

“I’m so happy to have it,” she said. “And 
I am so glad there are dolls for the other little 
girls.” 

There were many toys and pictures in the 
box. There were picture post-cards fastened 
together with ribbons, and others pasted in 
scrapbooks. There were picture rolls and Sun¬ 
day-school papers. 

With the box came a letter. It said that the 
children in a Sunday school in America had 


118 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


sent these things to the little children in that 
far-away country. 

‘ ‘ The children made the scrapbooks last sum¬ 
mer/ ’ the letter said, “and they have given 
their own toys. They hope to make those other 
children happy at Christmas time. Our Sunday 
school sends some money, too, to help you to 
tell the people about Jesus.” 

“I just knew that Jesus would send some 
presents,” said Edna. “Now we can have the 
children come here at Christmas time, can’t 
we ? ” 

“Yes,” said her father. “There is some¬ 
thing for every one. And these scrapbooks and 
post-cards I will carry to the little ones who are 
too sick to come here. These picture rolls and 
Sunday-school papers we will use in our Sunday 
school.” 

On Christmas the children all came to Edna’s 
hornet When they were given their dolls and 
toys they were so surprised. Many of the little 
girls had never had dolls. They thought they 
were the prettiest things they had ever seen. 

Edna’s father told them how Jesus came as 
a little Baby to this world to make every one 
happy, and to teach them how to love one an¬ 
other and how to love God. 

“Some little children way over in America 
loved you,” he said, “and wanted you to he 
happy on Jesus’ birthday, so they sent these 
things. They pasted these pretty cards in 


HOW EDNA HELPED THE CHILDREN 119 


scrapbooks or tied them with ribbon, and I shall 
take them to little children who are ill. The 
American children sent yon their own toys to 
make yon happy.” 

Edna’s father wrote to the children in Amer¬ 
ica. He told them how his little girl had prayed 
to Jesus and asked him to send presents for 
the children, and how happy she was when the 
box came. 

He told how all the little children came to his 
home on Christmas day and received their pres¬ 
ents. “Your gifts made them all very happy,” 
he wrote. 

And the children in America were glad that 
they could help those other children in that far- 
off country. 


XXIV 


THE POLICEMAN", THE CHILDBEDS FRIEND 

F REDDIE was playing with some other boys 
when a policeman came in sight. “Run, 
run, he’ll catch you,” said the boys, as they 
scampered off. 

Freddie ran into the house. When he found 
his mother he asked her, “Why will the police¬ 
man catch me, mother?” 

“My dear little son,” replied his mother, “the 
policeman is your good friend. He is always 
ready to help you in any danger. What makes 
you think that he will catch you?” 

“The boys said, ‘Run, he’ll catch you,’ when 
they saw him coming,” Freddie answered. 

“Come sit on my lap, dear,” said his mother, 
“and we will talk about the policeman. First, 
I want to tell you that the men who are at the 
head of our city choose men who are big and 
strong and brave to help take care of people. 
These men are called policemen. 

“Sometimes boys throw stones which break 
windows, or they throw snowballs which might 
hurt some passer-by, and then the policemen 
stop them, just as the fathers and mothers of 
120 


THE POLICEMAN—A FRIEND 121 


these boys would stop them, if they saw them 
doing wrong things. 

“But if boys and girls are doing what is 
right, the policemen will always help them. 
Don’t you remember that when you went down 
town with mother to see the procession, the big 
policeman picked you up and carried you across 
that crowded street?” 

“Oh, yes, mother, I remember,” said Fred¬ 
die. “He was a kind man.” 

44 1 want to tell you some splendid things that 
policemen have done,” said his mother. 44 One 
afternoon a policeman was watching on the 
street corner in front of a school when the 
little children came out. He stood there every 
day to see that they went safely across the 
street. 

4 4 On this day he was helping them across 
when he heard a loud noise. Looking up, he 
saw a run-away horse coming towards them. 
Quickly he pushed the children who were in the 
street to the right and left, out of the way. 

4 4 He called to the other children: 4 Stay where 
you are! Don’t come in the street!’ 

4 4 Then he ran and caught hold of the bridle 
of the run-away horse. The horse reared and 
plunged; then dashed ahead, dragging the po¬ 
liceman. But the brave policeman hung on. 
At last he stopped the horse. The little chil¬ 
dren were all saved from harm.” 

“O mother, wasn’t he brave!” said Freddie. 


122 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“Yes, dear,” replied his mother, “for the 
horse might have killed him.” 

“Tell me another story, mother, please,” said 
the little boy. 

“I could tell you many stories of the brave 
things which policemen do, little son,” said his 
mother. ‘ ‘ In the paper we often read how they 
save little children, boys and girls, and grown 
people from danger. 

“Some day I will tell you these stories, for 
I want you to remember that a policeman is 
always a good friend, who will protect you, 
even though he may be killed himself. 

“To-day I will tell you just one more story. 
One day last winter some boys were skating on 
a river. The ice had been thick, but several 
warm days had come and it was no longer safe. 
Suddenly it broke and two boys fell into the 
cold water. 

“A policeman was walking up and down on 
the shore, watching so that he might help, in 
case of an accident. When he saw the boys fall 
into the water he ran for ropes anS^ ladder. 
He pushed the ladder out on the ice toward 
them. 

“But as he neared the place where they had 
fallen in, more ice broke and he, too, went into 
the icy water. He tried to hold on to the ice, 
but it kept breaking as he took hold of it. At 
last he grasped a firmer piece. Then, reach¬ 
ing out, he seized the bigger boy, who was sink- 



WATCHING FOR DADDY 












































. 















* 




































THE POLICEMAN—A FRIEND 123 


ing. The policeman pushed him up on the ice. 

“The little boy could no longer be seen, as 
he had gone under the water. The policeman 
was very cold, but he drew a deep breath and 
dived under the icy water. In a moment he 
came up, and in his arms he carried the smaller 
boy. He pushed him, also, onto the ice and then 
he climbed up himself. 

“All the people praised the policeman who 
had gone into the icy water to save the boys, 
though he might have been drowned himself. 
Wasn’t he a brave man, Freddie!” 

“Yes, indeed, mother,” replied Freddie. 
“I’m glad that we have policemen in our city.” 

“Now take your Teddy bear,” said mother, 
“and go out on the porch and watch for fa¬ 
ther. I think that he will come soon.” 

So Freddie went out on the porch and sat 
down where he could watch the road. He put 
Teddy right beside him, and Teddy had on over¬ 
alls just like Freddie’s. 

Soon the little boy saw his father. “Daddy, 
daddy,” he cried, as he ran out to meet him. 

“0 daddy, do you know how brave police¬ 
men are ! Mother has told me such fine stories 
about them. ’ ’ 

“Well, you must tell them to me, my boy,” 
said his father, as he swung Freddie and Teddy 
up on his shoulder.* 

* The incidents telling of the bravery of policemen, 
which are given in this story, are founded upon fact. 


XXV 


FOUR FRIENDS HELPING A SICK MAN 

T HERE was once a man who had many 
friends. He saw them often. They came 
to his house to see him. He went to their 
houses. They liked to be together. After a 
time the man was taken sick. He had pain in 
his back. Then he had pain in his arms and 
legs. He grew worse and worse. 

At last he could not leave his bed. He could 
not move his hands or his feet. His wife and 
children had to care for him. They had to feed 
him, for he could not take his own food. They 
were very sorry that he was ill. His friends, 
too, were very sorry for him. “We wish that 
we could help him, ,, they said. 

They talked about this a great deal. They 
tried to think of something that they could do. 
One day they heard that Jesus was coming to 
their city. They heard that he made sick peo¬ 
ple well. They were very glad. 

“We will take our friend to Jesus,” they said. 
“He will heal him. How happy we shall be 
when our friend is well again!” 

They entered the sick man’s room. “Jesus 
124 


FOUR FRIENDS HELPING A SICK MAN 125 


has come to our town,” they said. ‘ 4 He is heal¬ 
ing the sick. Perhaps he can make you well. 
We will take you to him.” 

‘ ‘ Make me well!’’ cried the sick man. ‘ ‘ Oh, 
how wonderful that would he! I thought that 
I should never move again. Oh, how good you 
are to help me ! 19 

The four friends carried the sick man on a 
mat. Each man took hold of one corner. They 
lifted the sick man carefully. They walked 
slowly, so that they should not hurt him. They 
went on and on. At last they saw a crowd. 
4 ‘Jesus must be there,” they said. 

They went towards the house. But Jesus was 
inside. They could not see him. There were 
many, many people about the door and in front 
of the house. The sick man ’s friends could not 
take him through such a crowd. They could 
not even get near the door. 4 ‘ What shall we 
do?” they asked each other. 

The sick man was troubled. He did so want 
to be well. But now he feared that he could 
not even see Jesus. Then one of his friends 
looked up at the roof of the house. “There is 
a way,” he thought. 

And he said to the others: “Let us carry our 
friend up the stairway of this house. Then we 
can make a hole in the roof and let him down 
through it.” 

“That is a good plan,” the others answered. 

When Jesus was here on earth, every house 


126 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


had an outside stairway, leading np to the roof. 
The four friends carefully carried the sick man 
up the stairway. The roof of the house was 
flat. The four friends made a hole in the roof. 
Then they tied a rope to each corner of th£ 
mat on which the sick man was lying and let 
him down. 

Jesus had been talking to the people. He 
heard a noise over his head. He looked up. A 
man was being let down to him. Jesus was 
sorry for the sick man. 

He looked at the crowd about him. f ‘ This 
man’s friends could not bring him through the 
door,” he thought, “because there was such a 
crowd. They believe that I can make their 
friend well. I will help him.” 

When the man was let down Jesus looked lov¬ 
ingly at him. He felt sorry for him. “He can¬ 
not move his body and he is in pain,” thought 
Jesus. “He has done wicked things, so his 
heart is sick, too. I will make him well and I 
will help him to be good.” 

Then Jesus said to the man, “Son, thy sins 
are forgiven. ’ ’ 

The man was watching Jesus, hoping that he 
would make him well. As Jesus spoke I think 
that tears came into the sick man’s eyes. He 
was sorry that he had done wrong things. He 
thought, “I will try to do what is right after 
this. ’ ’ 



“come, and play with us, lucy” 





FOUR FRIENDS HELPING A SICK MAN 127 


Then Jesus said , 1 ‘ I say unto thee, Arise, take 
up thy bed, and go unto thy house.” 

The man was very much surprised. ‘ ‘ Why, I 
haven’t walked for years,” he thought. 4 ‘How 
can I arise and take my bed and go home?” 

He looked at Jesus, and Jesus smiled kindly 
at him. “I will do it,” said the sick man. 
“Jesus will help me.” 

He moved his feet. He found that he could 
stand up. He rolled up the mat, on which he 
had been lying, and put it on his shoulder. 
I think that he thanked Jesus for making him 
well. Then he walked through the room and 
out of the house. 

The people moved to one side, so that he could 
pass by them. They were all astonished. “We 
never saw anything done like this before,” they 
said. They praised God for sending Jesus to 
help them. 

I think that the first thing that the man who 
had been made well did, when he was outside 
of the house, was to find his friends. They had 
been watching from the roof, through which 
they had let him down to J esus. How glad they 
were when Jesus made him well! 

Now the man found them, as they were com¬ 
ing down the stairway, which led down from 
the roof. ‘‘How good you were to me!” he said. 
“If you had not taken me to Jesus I should 
never have been well. 

“When you saw what a crowd there was, 


130 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


a minute. I want to give you a little lunch. It 
may be late before you get back.” 

“Hurry, please, mother. I don’t like to keep 
Timothy waiting. Oh, I do so want to see Jesus! 
They say he tells such fine stories and makes 
sick people well and does so many wonderful 
things. Is the lunch ready, mother?” 

“Yes, dear, here it is. Stay close to Timo¬ 
thy. I hope that you will have a happy day, 
and when you come home you must tell me all 
about it. Mother wishes that she could go with 
you. Good-bye, little son,” said the mother, as 
she stooped to kiss him. 

“Good-bye, mother. I’ll tell you all about 
it when I come back,” and off he ran. 

The mother stood at the door, watching him. 
What a good boy he was! She was glad that 
God had given her such a dear little son. When 
he was out of sight she went back to her work. 

The little boy ran on to his friend’s house. 
The fisherman was standing by his door. “Ah, 
here you are,” he said. 

“Did you have to wait for me?” asked the 
boy. i i Mother wanted to give me a lunch. ’ ’ 

4 ‘ There is no hurry, ’ ’ said the fisherman, ‘‘ but 
we will start now. I want to hear Jesus, so 
I am not going to work to-day. I heard him 
once. He has such a kind face and he does 
wonderful things. 

“Peter and Andrew said that once they had 
fished all night and caught nothing. When they 


A LITTLE BOY HELPING JESUS 131 


came back Jesus told them to go out once more 
and this time they caught so many fish that they 
had to call John and James to help pull them 
in, and their nets almost broke.” 

“Oh,” said the boy, “how did Jesus know 
where the fish were?” 

“He seems to know everything,” replied 
Timothy, “and he can make even the winds and 
the waves obey him. ’ ’ 

“Can he really?” asked the boy. 

“Yes,” said Timothy. “Peter told me that 
once they were all out in a boat and Jesus was 
asleep, as he had had a busy day. Suddenly 
a storm came up and the wind blew very hard 
and the waves dashed against the boat and it 
began to fill with water. 

“Peter said that the disciples were all afraid 
that they would be drowned and they wakened 
Jesus. He stood up and spoke to the wind and 
waves, as if they were people, and said, ‘Peace, 
be still.’ 

“And the wind stopped blowing and the 
waves became still. What do you think of a 
man who can do such things, my boy?” 

“Oh, I think he is wonderful,” the boy an¬ 
swered. “ I’m so glad we are going to see him. ’ ’ 

“You’ll know him at once,” said Timothy. 
“He has the kindest face you ever saw. 
There’ll probably be a crowd about him.” 

The two friends walked on, but when they 


132 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


came to the town Jesus was not there. 44 Where 
has Jesus gone?” asked Timothy. 

* 4 Across the lake, ’ ’ the people replied. 4 4 See, 
there is his boat.” 

Timothy looked and there it was halfway 
across the lake. “Can you take a long walk, 
my boy?” he asked. “We can go around the 
lake and find Jesus when he lands.” 

4 4 Oh, yes , 9 ’ said the little boy. 4 4 1 know I can 
walk that far and I do so want to see him.” 

Many other people were going and all were 
talking about Jesus. Some were taking sick 
people for him to cure. There were those who 
were blind and deaf and lame. They all hoped 
that Jesus would heal them. The little boy did 
not get tired. He listened eagerly to all the 
stories that the people told about Jesus. 

At last they reached the place where Jesus’ 
boat was lying, but he and his disciples were not 
there. They had climbed a hill near by, so 
the people went up after them. 

Jesus was tired. He had gone away to rest. 
But when he saw the people he thought, 4 4 They 
need me. I will go down to them.” 

So he came down and touched the eyes of a 
blind man and he could see. The little boy stood 
near. How surprised he was! 4 4 He has made 
that blind man see,” he said to Timothy. 

44 Yes,” answered the fisherman, 44 and watch 
him now.” 

Timothy watched Jesus as he touched the leg 


A LITTLE BOY HELPING JESUS 133 


of a lame man. The cripple threw away his 
crutches. He walked and ran and jumped. 
Then he knelt down at Jesus’ feet and tried 
to thank him. 

4 ‘ Jesus has such a kind face,” said the little 
boy. “I just love him.” 

Then Jesus began to talk. The little boy 
could understand his stories. 6 ‘ I .wish mother 
could hear them,’ 9 he thought. ‘ i I will tell them 
to her when I go home.” 

It grew later and the sun went down, but no 
one started for home. The people were too in¬ 
terested in what Jesus was saying. At last the 
disciples came to Jesus and said: ‘‘Send the 
people away, for it is getting late. They have 
nothing to eat and are far from their homes.” 

“I cannot send them away hungry,” said 
Jesus. “We will give them something to eat.” 

“How can we do so?” asked Philip, one of 
Jesus’ helpers. “It would take a great deal of 
money to buy even a little food for each one of 
this large number.” 

The little boy was standing near. He heard 
what Philip said. He went up to Jesus and 
held out his little basket. “Can you use my 
lunch?” he asked. 

Jesus took it and thanked the little fellow. 
He opened the basket. There were five tiny 
loaves of bread, no bigger than our crackers, 
and two little dried fish in it. 

“Ask the people to sit down,” said Jesus. 


134 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


The little boy watched the people as they sat 
down on the green grass. Oh, how many there 
were! They were dressed in bright colours. 
They looked like beds of flowers. When all 
were seated he saw Jesus take his lunch and, 
looking up to heaven, ask God to bless the 
food. 

And, as the boy watched, Jesus broke the 
bread and fish and gave some of the pieces to 
his disciples, when they came up with baskets. 
There was enough to fill all the baskets. The 
little boy saw the disciples pass the food to the 
people. When the baskets were empty they 
came back for more. 

The little boy could not understand how it 
was, for he knew there had been only five little 
loaves and two small fishes at first and yet Jesus 
had more to give his helpers. 

The people were hungry. They ate a great 
deal. The disciples passed the food again and 
again. Each time they came back to Jesus he 
had more to give them. 

At last every one had all that he could eat. 
Not a man or woman or child in all that large 
number was hungry. The little boy had eaten 
all that he wished, too. 

Then Jesus said, “Gather up that which is 
left, so that nothing shall be wasted.’ 9 

The little boy saw the disciples go once more 
among the people and pick up the broken pieces 
of bread and fish. They filled twelve baskets 


A LITTLE BOY HELPING JESUS 135 

full of these pieces. Then the people started for 
home. 

44 How good Jesus was to give us food!” said 
one. 

4 4 How wonderful that there was enough for 
all!” said another. 

The little boy ran along by Timothy’s side. 
44 I wish that mother had been there,” he said. 
44 Wasn’t it good that she gave me a lunch? 
Just think, Timothy, it was my lunch that Jesus 
used! I am so glad I could help him.” 

Oh, how eager he was to get back! He wanted 
to tell his mother all about what he had seen. 
He found her at the door waiting for him. 

44 Have you had a happy day?” she asked. 
44 0 mother, I wish you had been there,” he 
said. 4 4 Jesus is so beautiful. He has such a 
kind face. And, mother, what do you think? 
There were crowds and crowds of people and 
he fed them all with my lunch!” 

44 Why, dear, what do you mean?” asked his 
mother. 

Then the little boy told her all about it. 4 4 1’m 
so glad I could help Jesus,” he said. 44 Won’t 
you go with me to-morrow to see him, mother?” 

44 Yes, dear,” she answered. 44 We will go to¬ 
gether to see Jesus.” 


XXVII 


PETER AND JOHN AND THE LAME MAN 

T HERE was once a lame man in a country 
far from here. When he was a little child 
he could neither walk nor run. He could not 
jump or skip or dance about merrily as other 
children did. He had to be carried by some 
one whenever he moved from place to place. 

As he grew older he still had to be carried. 
He was poor, but he could not .work to earn 
money to buy food and clothes. All he could do 
was to beg. I think that he did not like to do 
this. I do not believe that any one likes to be 
a beggar. But there was no other way for this 
man to get any money. 

Each morning he was carried to a place where 
he stayed alone all day, begging of the people 
who passed. Then at night he was carried back 
again to the poor home where he lived. 

Every day he told his friends who carried him 
to take him to the temple, or church, where the 
people went to pray to God and to praise him. 
“Perhaps, as they go to pray,” said the lame 
man, “the people will be kind to me and give 
me something.” 


136 


PETER, JOHN AND THE LAME MAN 137 


The temple had many beautiful gates. One 
of them was high and made of shining bronze. 
Because it was more beautiful than the others 
it was always called the Beautiful Gate. To 
this gate his friends carried the lame man each 
morning. 

As he sat near it he watched the faces of the 
people who went into the temple. If any looked 
kind he held out his hand and said: “Please 
help me; I am lame and cannot work. I have 
no money to buy food. Please give me some 
money. Oh, pity and help me.” 

Sometimes some one stopped and gave the 
lame man a small piece of money, but most of 
the people went through the gate and did not 
notice the poor beggar. All the morning he 
sat there and he was given very little money. 

At noon he ate a piece of bread which he had 
brought with him and then again he held out 
his hand and begged the passers-by to help him. 
When night came his friends carried him back 
to his home. 

One day there came toward him two men. 
Their names were Peter and John, and they 
had been two of Jesus’ friends and helpers. 
Now Jesus had gone back to heaven, and Peter 
and John were trying to be kind and loving, 
and to help people, as Jesus had done. 

As they came near, the lame man called out: 
“ Please help me. I am lame and cannot work. 


138 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


I have no money to bny food. Please give me 
some money /’ 

Peter and John stopped and looked kindly at 
the lame man. Then Peter said, ‘‘Look at us.” 

Oh, how eagerly the lame man looked at 
them! i ‘They are kind men,” he thought. 
‘ ‘ They will help me by giving me some money. ’ 9 

Then Peter said, “I have no money.” 

How disappointed the beggar was! “I was 
sure that he was going to give me some money, ’ ’ 
he thought. 

But Peter said: ‘ ‘ I have no money, but I will 
give you what I have to give. In the name of 
Jesus Christ walk.” 

“Why, I cannot walk,” thought the lame 
man. “I have never walked in all my life. 
Doesn’t this man see that I am lame?” 

Peter leaned over and, taking the right hand 
of the beggar in his, lifted him up. Amd then, 
what a wonder! The poor man, who had al¬ 
ways been lame, found that he could stand on 
his feet. He took a step. Yes, he could walk! 
He went faster and faster. He could even run! 
He leaped into the air. He could jump as well 
as run. 

How wonderful it was! He could hardly be¬ 
lieve that it was really he who was walking and 
running. He turned to thank Peter for help¬ 
ing him, and he saw that Peter and John were 
entering the temple. “I, too, will go in and 


PETER, JOHN AND THE LAME MAN 139 


thank and praise God for making me well,” he 
said. 

Many people had seen the lame man sitting 
near the Beautiful Gate. Now they saw him 
walking and leaping. They were very much as¬ 
tonished. “How was he made well?” they 
asked. 

Then Peter said, “Jesus Christ has made this 
man strong and well.” 

Don’t you think that the lame man loved 
Jesus after that and tried to please him? 


XXVIII 


little lucy’s narrow escape 

L ET’S go and play in onr cave,” said 
Donald. 

“Yes, let’s,” answered Stuart. 

“Me go, too. Lucy wants to go, too,” said 
their little sister. 

“No, Lucy, you can’t go. You’re only a lit¬ 
tle girl and you can’t play boys’ games,” re¬ 
plied Donald. 

Off went the boys as fast as they could run, 
never once looking behind them. They crossed 
the fields which lay beyond their home. Then 
they came to a brook. 

‘ ‘ How deep the water is! ” said Stuart. 

They crossed the little plank bridge and soon 
came to the woods. Here they had built a cave 
from earth and boughs of trees, in which they 
had fine plays. 

To-day they were Indians, shooting make- 
believe deer with their bows and arrows, go¬ 
ing on the war path against other make-believe 
Indians and returning for a noisy war dance. 
As they played, they never once thought of the 
little sister whom they had left behind. 

140 


LITTLE LUCY’S NARROW ESCAPE 141 


But when they ran away little three year old 
Lucy said again: ‘ ‘ Me go, too. Lucy wants to 
play wiv bruvers . 9 9 

She started to follow the boys, but the fields 
were rough, and again and again she stumbled 
and fell. “Donny, Too Too,” she called, hut 
the boys did not hear her. 

The poor little girl was crying now, but on 
she went. She came to the bridge and started 
to cross. Tears were in her eyes as she walked, 
so she went too near the edge. She stumbled, 
and fell into the water. Mother was too far 
away to hear her cry, and the boys had already 
reached their cave. 

But Bruno, the big, black, Newfoundland dog, 
came bounding across the fields to help her. He 
leaped into the water and caught the little girl’s 
dress in his mouth. He swam with her to the 
bank. How cold and wet she was! 

Across the fields she went, good Bruno close 
beside her. As they came near the house the 
dog ran ahead and his barking soon brought 
mother to the door. 

“0 my darling, what has happened?” she 
cried, as she ran to the dripping little girl and 
gathered her close in her arms. 

‘‘Lucy fell in water,” sobbed the child. 
“Boono came.” 

“Bruno, good fellow,” said mother, “did you 
save my little girl?” 

Mother patted the dog’s shaggy head, and 


142 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


then she carried little Lucy into the house. She 
undressed her quickly and tucked her up warmly 
in bed, giving her something hot to drink. But 
the fright and cold brought on a high fever 
and mother had to send for the doctor. 

All the afternoon the boys played in their 
cave, but when the sun went down Donald said, 
4 ‘It’s getting late: we’d better go home to 
supper. ’ ’ 

Through the woods, over the bridge and 
across the fields ran the boys. As they came 
near the house they saw the doctor’s buggy. 
“Why, who’s sick?” said Stuart. 

They ran into the house and were starting 
upstairs when mother came towards them with 
her finger on her lips. “Hush, boys,” she said. 
“Lucy is ill.” 

“Lucy! Why, what’s the matter?” asked 
Donald. “She was all right this afternoon.” 

“She fell into the brook,” replied his mother. 
“I don’t know how she came to be there, for 
she has never before gone so far alone. If it 
had not been for Bruno, who saved her and 
brought her home, she might have been 
drowned. ’ ’ 

“0 mother, it’s our fault,” said Donald. 
“She wanted to go with us and we wouldn’t let 
her. We thought she’d be a bother, so we ran 
off, and she must have followed us.” 

“Will she get well?” asked Stuart. 

“I hope so, dear,” replied his mother. “We 



“come, and play with us, lucy” 









LITTLE LUCY’S NARROW ESCAPE 143 


will ask our heavenly Father to make her well.’ ’ 

“0 mother, I’m so glad Bruno was near,” 
said Donald. “I’ll never be unkind to Lucy 
again. ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ And I won’t, either, ’ ’ said Stuart. ‘ 1 When¬ 
ever she wants to play with us, we’ll let her.” 

The brothers were eager to do things for 
their little sister. They carried her meals up 
to her, and as she grew better they stayed with 
her and amused her. 

One day, when she was well again, mother 
was holding her as Donald and Stuart came in. 

They ran up to mother, and Stuart said: “ 0 
Lucy, we’re going to play in our cave. Don’t 
you want to go with us?” 

“Yes,” said the little girl, “me go wiv 
bruvers.” 

“We’ll look out for her, mother,” said Don¬ 
ald. “You need not worry about her.” 

“I will not, boys,” said mother. “I know 
that I can trust you to take good care of your 
little sister.” 


XXIX 


HOW LITTLE ELSIE LEARNED TO OBEY 

O NE summer a little girl named Elsie went 
with her father and mother to her grand¬ 
pa’s farm. How she enjoyed the big yard and 
all the animals! There were chickens and 
ducks, sheep and lambs, dear little calves, and 
little pink pigs with funny curly tails. Elsie 
loved to go with grandpa when he fed them. 

Grandpa gave her a place for a garden, and 
she hoed the ground and planted the seeds. 
Then she watched for the flowers to grow. 

“You must water your garden,” said 
grandpa. 

So Elsie carried her little watering pot out 
to the garden and sprinkled the earth, and at 
last she saw some little green shoots. “My 
flowers are growing,” she said joyfully. 

After a time flowers came on the green stems, 
red, yellow, pink, white and other colours. 
Each morning, when the sun shone upon them, 
the portulaca blossoms opened, and Elsie 
thought they were the very prettiest flowers 
she had ever seen. 

But there were other interesting things on 
144 


HOW ELSIE LEARNED TO OBEY 145 


grandpa’s farm. There were many fruit trees, 
and near the house stood a beautiful apple tree. 

“May I have an apple, grandpa?” asked 
Elsie, one morning. 

“No, Elsie,” he replied. “Don’t pick any 
apples yet, for they are not ripe and they would 
hurt you.” 

A few days later Elsie was out in the yard 
alone and she looked up at the apple tree. Just 
over her head, where she could reach up and 
get it, there hung an apple. It was all yellow, 
and, yes, there were spots of red on it. 

“That apple must be ripe,” thought Elsie. 
“Grandpa doesn’t know how ripe it is. I’m 
sure that he won’t mind if I take that one.” 

She reached up, picked it and began to eat 
it. Just then she saw grandpa come out of 
the house, but instead of running to meet him, 
she went behind the tree. 

“Elsie,” he called, “do you want to go to 
the pond with me to see the ducks 1 ’ ’ 

Slowly the little girl came toward him and, 
seeing how ashamed she looked, grandpa asked, 
“Did you take an apple, Elsie?” 

“Yes, I did, grandpa,” she answered. “I 
thought one of them was ripe and you wouldn’t 
mind. ’ ’ 

Grandpa took her hand and led her into the 
house to her mother. “I am very sorry to tell 
you,” he said, “that Elsie did not obey me, 
so I have brought her to you.” 


146 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


Mother took Elsie in her arms. “I am so 
sorry that yon did not mind grandpa,’’ she said. 

“I am, too, mother,’’ said Elsie. “The apple 
wasn’t ripe, as grandpa said: it tasted very 
sour.” 

“I must punish you, my little girl,” said her 
mother, “so that next time you will remember 
to do just as you are told. To-day you can¬ 
not have any dessert.” 

At dinner time, after Elsie had eaten her 
meat and vegetables, Bridget brought in a snow 
pudding. Oh, how good it looked! Elsie, slip¬ 
ping from her chair, went to her mother and 
whispered: “0 mother, this is the pudding 
I like best of all. Mayn’t I have some?” 

“No, dear,” replied her mother. “You chose 
an apple instead of the pudding to-day.” 

Elsie knew that there was no use in teasing, 
but after that she tried hard to remember to 
do as she was told. 

Father went home after a few weeks, hut 
Elsie and her mother stayed all summer and 
had such a happy visit. When the fall came 
they, too, went back to their home. Elsie missed 
the farm, and grandpa and grandma, and all 
the animals, hut it was very nice to he with 
father again. 

Elsie’s home was in the city and there was 
no pretty yard in which to play, hut not far 
away was a beautiful park where mother often 
took her. 


HOW ELSIE LEARNED TO OBEY 147 


Sometimes father came home early and went 
with them. He would take Elsie for a ride in 
the swan boat, on the little lake, and this was 
great fun. It looked as if the big swan at the 
back pushed the boat, but father said that the 
man, who sat behind the swan, really made 
it go. 

’Twas such a pretty lake with islands where 
many birds had their homes. There were real 
swans and ducks floating on the water. 

One morning Elsie’s mother said to her: “I 
must go down town to-day and I don’t know 
just when I can get home. Mollie will bring 
you back from kindergarten, but after that she 
will be busy, so I want you to stay in the house 
until I return.” 

“Yes, mother,” said Elsie, “I will.” 

When Elsie came from kindergarten she had 
her luncheon and then, as she was playing with 
her dolls, the bell rang and there was her little 
friend Dorothy. “Come over to the park, 
Elsie,” she said. “Mother is going to take 
me, and she said I might ask you to go, too.” 

“No, I can’t go,” said Elsie. “ Mother .told 
me to stay at home.” 

“Oh, she didn’t know that I would come for 
you,” said her little friend. “She wouldn’t 
mind, I know, and mother will take us to ride 
in the swan boat.” 

Elsie wanted to go ever so much, but she 


148 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


said, “No, Dorothy, mother said I must not go 
out.” 

A little while after Dorothy had gone Elsie 
heard a horse come trotting up the street and 
stop at the house. She ran to the window, and 
there were father and mother in a buggy. 

“Come, little girl,” said father as he came 
up the steps. “Get your things on and we’ll 
have a nice drive. ’ 9 

Such a happy time as Elsie had, for she loved 
to drive almost better than anything else. “0 
mother,” she said, “I’m so glad I minded you 
and didn’t go with Dorothy.” ' 

“So am I, dear,” replied her mother, “for 
it would have made both father and mother sad 
to have had you miss this drive.” 


XXX 


THE BABY KOBINS 

F> ACK and forth flew the robins, building 
their nest on a shelf under the eaves of 
the barn. Some one had put up this shelf out¬ 
side the barn and another shelf inside for the 
pigeons that once lived here. 

A little hole had been bored through the side 
of the barn from shelf to shelf, so that the birds 
could go back and forth. But now all the 
pigeons had flown away and the robins thought 
that this place would make a nice home for them, 
as the roof would shelter it from storms. 

They brought sticks and straws and a few 
stalks of plants and made the loose nest. Then 
they carried little pellets, or balls, of mud in 
their bills and with these they plastered the nest 
on the inside, making it smooth and firm. Next 
they brought fine grasses and hairs to make it 
soft. 

Then the mother bird laid four eggs. They 
were a lovely greenish blue, and she thought 
that they were the prettiest eggs that were ever 
seen. Now for many days she sat over them, 
keeping them warm beneath her soft breast. 

149 


150 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


The father bird flew back and forth, bringing 
her bugs or worms for her breakfast or lunch. 
Then, sitting near, he sang his sweetest songs 
to keep her from getting tired and lonely. 

4 ‘ Cheerily- cheerup, cheerily-cheerup,” he 
sang in the morning. “The eggs will break 
some day and then we shall have dear baby 
birds in the soft little nest. Be patient, mother 
bird. ’ 9 

And at night he sang: “Good-night, good¬ 
night. I love you, I love you. Sleep sweet, 
sleep sweet.*’ 

After the mother bird had sat patiently, day 
after day, at last something happened in the 
nest. One of the pretty blue eggs cracked and 
a baby bird poked out its head. Then another 
egg broke and another and another, until there 
were four baby birds in the soft little nest. 

Oh, how hard the father and mother bird had 
to work now! The babies seemed to be all 
mouths and these mouths were never filled. The 
yellow bills were always wide open and the 
babies kept crying, “More, more, more,” no 
matter how much food was given them. 

Back and forth flew the mother and father 
birds, back and forth all day long, bringing fat 
grubs and worms to their hungry birdlings. 
When night came and the wide-opened mouths 
were closed and the babies asleep, the tired 
mother and father were glad to tuck their heads 
under their wings and rest, too. 


THE BABY ROBINS 


151 


One day, when the birdlings were a little 
older, the mother and father birds flew away. 
“Be very good, children,” said the mother, be¬ 
fore she left them, “and don’t leave the nest 
until we return.” 

They had not been gone very long when one 
of the birdlings said: “It’s crowded in this nest. 
I’m going to see what’s outside.” 

16 Mother told us not to leave the nest, ’ ’ said 
another. 

“Well, I won’t leave it,” said the first little 
bird. “I’ll just stand on the edge and look 
about. We can’t see anything inside here.” 

Slowly he climbed out on the edge and looked 
about. Close to the nest he saw the little round 
hole through which the pigeons used to enter 
the barn. “I’m going to see what’s in this 
funny place,” said the baby robin. 

“O brother, mother said not to leave the 
nest,” called the others. 

But the little robin did not answer. He was 
already inside the barn on the other shelf. The 
little birds in the nest could hear him chirping. 

“I’m going to climb on the edge and see 
where he has gone,” said a little sister. 

“But mother said-” 

“Oh, never mind, she won’t care, if I don’t 
leave the nest.” 

Up she climbed and when she, too, saw the 
hole she hopped on to the shelf and crawled 
through to join her brother. 


152 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“Isn’t it fine in here?” he asked. 

“ ’Tis much nicer than the nest,” said the 
little sister. 

As they were talking, through the hole came 
the third little bird. Now the fourth one said, 
‘ 4 Oh, I can’t stay in the nest all alone! ’ ’ 

He heard his brother and sisters calling: 
“Come in here. ’Tis such a nice place.” 

Up he climbed to the edge of the nest, jumped 
on to the shelf and crawled through the hole. 
“Don’t you like it here?” asked the others. 

“Yes,” replied the fourth little bird, “but 
what will mother say?” 

Just then back came the mother bird. Oh, 
how frightened she was when she saw the empty 
nest! She thought that some cat or big bird 
had carried her babies away. “My birdlings, 
my birdlings,” she called, “where are you?” 

“Peep, peep, here we are,” cried four little 
voices. 

The mother bird looked around. She couldn’t 
see a single bird. 4 ‘ Where are you ? ’’ she asked 
again. 

“We came through the hole,” they answered. 

Now she spied the pigeon hole and quickly 
she, too, crawled through it. “Isn’t it nice in 
here, mother?” asked the babies. 

‘ 6 Oh, why did you leave the nest ? ’ ’ cried the 
mother. “How can we get out of here and 
where shall we find any food?” 

She flew up against the window which was 


THE BABY ROBINS 


153 


over the shelf. The light came through the 
glass, but the mother bird found that she 
couldn’t get out that way. Again and again she 
flew against the glass and the baby birds be¬ 
gan to fly a little, too, doing just as their mother 
did. 

The mother bird did not think of the pigeon 
hole. She knew no way to get out. All day she 
kept trying to get through the glass. All day 
the babies beat their little wings against it as 
she did. At night, hungry and tired, they all 
went to sleep. 

The next morning the kind doctor, who lived 
in the house, came up for some hay. He heard 
the birds chirping and beating their wings 
against the window. He called his wife and the 
two young girls who were staying with them. 
“ Come up and see what is in the pigeon house,” 
he said. 

Up the ladder climbed the people and there 
they found the four little birds and their mother. 
One little fellow was perched on a pigeon-roost, 
with his head tucked under his wing, too tired 
to move. When he heard the voices he poked 
his head out a moment, sleepily blinked at the 
people, and then tucked it once more under his 
wing. 

* ‘ They will starve to death in here , 9 9 said the 
kind doctor. 

Very gently he caught the mother bird and 
put her through the pigeon hole. She flew about 


154 SUNDAY STORY HOUR 

excitedly outside, but in a moment one of her 
babies was gently pushed out by the doctor’s 
wife. Then another and another were helped 
out. At last the sleepy little one followed the 
others. 

The father bird had been flying about, look¬ 
ing everywhere for the mother and the little 
birds. As they came out of the hole how glad 
he was to see them! And the little birds were 
very glad to get back to the nice nest and to 
eat the good breakfast which their father and 
mother brought them. 

“0 mother, we’ll do just what you tell us 
to do after this,” said the baby birds. 

“I hope that you will, my birdlings,” said 
the mother, “for I am sure that it is much bet¬ 
ter to be able to fly about in this beautiful 
world than to be shut up in a small place like 
that. ’ ’ * 


This story is founded upon fact. 


XXXI 


THE BABY ACORN 

H OW snugly the little brown acorn lay in 
its cunning cradle! When the gentle 
breezes blew it was rocked up and down on the 
mother tree. 

“Rock-a-bye, baby, on the tree top, 

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.” 

“Mother, shall I always stay with you?” 
whispered the baby acorn. 

“No, my little one,” said the mother, “some 
day you will leave me and go away, for there is 
other work for you to do.” 

‘ ‘ 0 mother, I don’t want to go away. I want 
to stay with you always,” said the baby, begin¬ 
ning to cry. 

“Hush, my little one,” said the big mother 
tree, “do not cry. There is a beautiful new 
life before you, and work that you will like 
to do. Listen and I will whisper to you what 
this work is. Some day you will be a tree 
like me. 

“Wouldn’t you like to grow straight and tall 
155 


156 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


as I am? Wouldn’t you like to have the birds 
sing among your leaves and build their nests 
on your branches? Wouldn’t you like to make 
a cool shadow with your leaves, so that tired 
people could rest under you?” 

“Oh, yes, mother, I should be so glad to be 
like you and to do all these things,” answered 
the little acorn. 

“Well then, little one, don’t be troubled be¬ 
cause you must leave me,” said the mother 
tree, “for a beautiful new life will be yours.” 

The baby acorn cried no more. It rocked 
in its cradle and was happy, for it thought of 
all the work it was to do in the new life which 
it was to have. 

One day a great wind blew and suddenly the 
little twig, to which the cradle was fastened, 
broke. Down fell the cradle and the acorn 
baby—down, down, until they reached the 
ground. 

“When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, 

And down will come baby, cradle and all.” 

The baby slipped out of its cradle, as it fell, 
and at first it was frightened. But then it 
thought: “I must get ready to do my work. 
I wonder how I shall know what I am to do ? ” 

For several days it lay on the ground, and 
the leaves fell and covered it. Then one day 
the rain came and moistened the earth, and the 


THE BABY ACORN 


157 


little brown baby slipped down lower and lower. 
’Twas quite dark, but oh, how soft and warm 
it was! 

“I like this new little bed,” said the little 
brown baby. 

But it did not speak again, for it was soon 
fast asleep. It did not know that over the 
brown leaves there came a soft warm blanket 
of snow. All winter the acorn baby slept 
soundly. 

In the spring there came the “tap, tap” of 
the raindrops. “What is that?” asked the lit¬ 
tle acorn, rubbing its eyes. “I must go and 
see.” 

But as it moved, crack went its little brown 
dress. “Oh, dear, what shall I do!” it cried. 
11 1 must go up where it is light and see what I 
can wear instead of this brown dress.” 

Up it pushed and lo! it found that it had 
a slender stem on which soon came pretty little 
green leaves. It was an acorn baby no longer; 
instead, it was a tiny oak tree. 

“This is my new life,” said the baby tree. 
“Now I can grow tall like my mother, and have 
beautiful work to do.” 

And the little oak tree was very happy. 


XXXII 


A SPRING WALK 

T HEY were all sitting at the breakfast table 
one Sunday morning in the spring. There 
were father and mother, Roland, who was eight 
years old, Gladys, who was six, and little three 
year old Stella. 

4 6 What would you like to do this afternoon, 
children ?’ ’ asked father. 

Sunday was always the children’s day. They 
had father all to themselves in the afternoon, 
and mother, too, helped to give them a pleasant 
time. 

i ‘We’d like to go to walk with you, father,” 
said Roland. “It is such a bright day.” 

“And when we come back you’ll tell us a 
story, won’t you, mother?” said Gladys. “I 
just love stories.” 

‘ ‘ Tell me tory, ’ ’ said little Stella. 

“I think that is a nice plan,” said father. 
“Will you go with us to walk, mother?” 

“No, I think that I will rest while you walk 
and then I shall be glad to hear about all that 
you have seen, when you return,” said mother. 
After breakfast they each said a verse from 
158 


A SPRING WALK 


159 


the Bible. Roland’s verse was, ‘ ‘ I will give thee 
thanks with my whole heart.’’ Gladys said, 
4 ‘Let ns love one another,” and mother helped 
little Stella to say, “Suffer the little children 
to come unto me.” 

“Shall we sing the song of which Stella’s 
verse makes us think?” asked father. 

“Yes, father, ‘I Think When I Read that 
Sweet Story,’ ” said Gladys. 

Even little Stella could sing part of this 
song and they all liked it. Then they knelt 
down and father thanked God for the beauti¬ 
ful Sunday which he had sent and asked him 
to help them please him all day long. Then 
the children said this little prayer with father: 

“For our restful sleep at night, 

For the rain and sunshine bright, 

For the food which thou dost send, 

For our homes, and for each friend; 

For thy love and tender care, 

For thy goodness everywhere, 

We thank thee, heavenly Father.”* 

Roland went to church with father and 
mother, and Gladys and Stella went to Sunday 
school. After dinner Gladys asked, “Now will 
you take us to walk, father?” 

“Yes,” father answered, “and we will see 
how many things we can find about which to tell 
mother. ’ ’ 

“I shall he very glad to hear about them,” 
said mother, as she kissed them good-bye. 

* By Laura Ella Cragin. 


160 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“Where shall we go, father!” asked Roland, 
as they left the house. 

“We will take the car and go out in the coun¬ 
try/ J answered father. 

It was a pleasant day and the children saw 
many interesting things from the windows, as 
they rode along. At last they left the car and 
walked down a very pretty road. 

“Now see how many new things you can 
find,” said father. 

The children kept both eyes and ears open 
and soon Gladys said, “I hear a bird.” 

Father had brought his field glasses and they 
soon found the bluebird that was singing so 
sweetly. “I see bird,” said little Stella, point¬ 
ing to a fat robin that was singing his ‘ 1 cheer- 
ily-cheerup, cheerily-cheerup. ’ ’ 

“What a happy song he has!” said father. 
“I am glad that our heavenly Father has sent 
the birds back to us.” 

“0 father, here’s a cocoon,” said Gladys. 

“That’s a great find,” said father. “We’ll 
take it home carefully and watch the butter¬ 
fly come out.” 

Now father turned off the road and went into 
the woods. He and the children hunted among 
the dried leaves. “Oh, here are some hepati- 
cas,” said Roland. 

Sure enough, there were the dear little flow¬ 
ers. Some were pale pink, and others had 


A SPRING WALK 161 

white blossoms with delicate purple lines across 
them. 

“I think that we can take up the roots, chil¬ 
dren,’ ’ said father, “and then they will bloom 
for us at home.” 

Carefully he dug up the plants and put them 
in a paper which he had brought with him. ‘ 6 0 
father, here are some violets,” said Gladys, 
pointing to the little purple flowers. 

“See funny fower,” said little Stella. 

“That’s a skunk cabbage,” said father. 
“The first flower that comes in the spring.” 

“Amd here’s a Jack-in-the-pulpit,” said 
Roland. 

Soon the children’s hands were filled with 
lovely spring flowers. “I’m glad God sends 
the flowers,” said Gladys. 

As they went home they saw how pretty the 
trees looked with their delicate spring dresses. 
Some of the new leaves were pink or red, but 
most of them were delicate green. 

As father and the children came to the town 
where they lived, the children pointed out the 
flowers of many pretty colours which were 
growing in the gardens. They saw a bird with 
a bit of string in his mouth. “0 father, I be¬ 
lieve he is building a nest,” said Gladys. 

“I think he is,” answered father, “and after 
a time there will be some baby birds.” 

Mother met them at the door, as they reached 


162 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


their home. “See! see!” cried little Stella, 
hold up her flowers. 

4 ‘ Oh, how pretty, ’ 9 said mother. < ‘ Where did 
you get them?” 

Then they told her of the flowers in the gar¬ 
dens, and of the car ride, and of the woods 
where they had heard the birds singing and had 
found so many wild flowets. 

“When you have taken your things off,” said 
mother, “you may look at the flowers under 
the glass, and then we will put them in water . 7 9 

The children quickly put away their wraps, 
while mother brought the little microscope. As, 
one by one, they looked through this at an 
hepatica, a violet, and at other flowers they ex¬ 
claimed with delight. 

“0 mother, just see what a pretty centre the 
violet has,” said Gladys. 

“Father, look at the curious marks on the 
hood of this skunk cabbage and the funny lit¬ 
tle flowers under the hood,” said Roland. 

“What a queer fuzzy stem the hepatica has,” 
said Gladys. 

“I think that this Jack that I found is the 
queerest of all,” said Roland. 

“Me want to see dack,” said little Stella. 

Roland put the glass to her eye and the little 
girl said, “Pitty, pitty.” 

“How beautiful God has made all the flow¬ 
ers, 9 9 said mother. 

“Mother, now won’t you tell us a story?” 


A SPRING WALK 163 

asked Gladys, when all the flowers had been seen 
through the microscope. 

“Yes,” said mother, as she took Stella on 
her lap, and the other children found seats 
near her. 

‘ ‘ It was early one spring, ’ ’ she began. ‘ ‘ The 
trees were bare, the grass was brown, no flow¬ 
ers could be seen and no birds were singing. 
But down south some bluebirds were thinking 
of their summer home. ‘Isn’t it time to go 
back?’ asked one. 

“ ‘Yes, let us start,’ said another. 

‘ ‘ They flew and flew and flew, and at last they 
reached their summer home. ‘It is cold,’ said 
one of the bluebirds. 

“ ‘But we will sing,’ said another, ‘and it will 
soon be warmer.’ 

“ ‘There’s the bluebird’s song,’ said the 
mother tree. ‘I must tell the baby buds to take 
off their brown waterproof coats and put on 
their green dresses.’ 

“She sent word out through the branches to 
the baby buds. The sunbeams helped to take 
her message. They shone warmly down. 
‘Wake up, baby buds,’ they said. 

“The raindrops pattered down. ‘Wake up, 
baby buds,’ they, too, said. ‘The robins and 
bluebirds are here.’ 

“Then the baby buds shook off their water¬ 
proof coats. Their green dresses grew larger 


164 SUNDAY STORY HOUR 

and larger. They danced merrily on the 
branches. 

“ While they were busy getting ready the 
raindrops and sunbeams wakened the seeds in 
the garden and up came the flowers—crocuses, 
tulips, hyacinths and others. In the woods the 
skunk cabbage wakened. What other flowers 
came, children ?” 

“Violets,’’ said Gladys. 

‘‘ Jack-in-the-pulpit,” said Roland. 

* ‘ Yes, ’ ’ said mother,‘ ‘ and many others. The 
farmers had ploughed their fields and planted 
their seed, and now the wheat and corn and 
barley began to grow. 

“It was our heavenly Father who told the 
birds to come back. He sent the sun and the 
rain to make the grain grow so that people 
might have food. He made the flowers bloom 
so that the world might be beautiful. 

“He loves us and gives us the springtime 
when ‘the flowers appear on the earth,’ and ‘the 
time of the singing of birds is come.’ ” 

“I like the springtime best of all,” said 
Gladys. 


XXXIII 


THE EASTER LILIES 

O NCE upon a time there were three little 
girls who lived in the country. Two of 
them were twins and their names were really 
Katherine and Caroline, but because they loved 
flowers so much their father and mother always 
called them Daisy and Pansy. Then there was 
a younger sister named Rose. 

All through the long summer the three little 
girls lived out of doors, only coming into the 
house to eat and to sleep. What fine plays they 
had in the meadow! They made daisy chains, 
and wove wreaths and garlands of other flowers, 
and played that they were queens and princesses 
and fairies. 

They had their own little gardens, too, which 
they watered and weeded with great care. Lit¬ 
tle Rose wasn’t old enough to do much work 
in her garden, so Daisy and Pansy took care 
of it for her. 

The little girls loved the flowers that grew 
in their gardens—portulacas, lilies of the val¬ 
ley, pansies, forget-me-nots and others, even 
more than the wild flowers, because they took 
165 


166 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


such loving care of them. They could not bear 
to have them wither. ‘ ‘ 0 mother, the tiny lilies 
are dying/’ they said, when the lilies of the 
valley faded. 

“ Never mind, little girls/’ their mother said, 
“ another year you will have them again. The 
seeds are planted and the flowers will come up 
next spring.’’ 

As the fall came, the flowers, one after an¬ 
other, drooped and died and the little girls 
missed them very much. The birds, too, that 
they loved, flew away south. The children did 
not want to stay out of doors so much now, so 
mother found new games for them to play in 
the house. But, though they liked these, they 
still missed their little flower friends. 

One day in November father came home with 
a package. “See here, little girls/’ he called. 
“Look what father has brought you.” 

Eagerly they opened the package, but when 
they saw the queer little, ugly, brown things 
that were inside, they were disappointed. 
“What are they, father?” they asked. 

“They are lily bulbs,” said father, “and if 
you take good care of them they will be lilies 
some day. Father bought them for his little 
flower girls who miss their friends, the flowers, 
so much. I will show you how to plant them.” 

He found three flower pots and put a bulb 
in each one, covering it with soft black earth. 
Then he put some straw over the top to keep 


THE EASTER LILIES 


167 


the light away. “ After two weeks/* he said, 
“we will take the straw away and then I think 
that you will find something has happened.” 

“Oh, thank you, father/’ said the little girls, 
and Pansy added, “It will be such fun to have 
lilies of our very own . 9 9 

The children found it hard to wait for two 
weeks. i ‘ Isn’t the time up ? ’ 9 one of them would 
ask their father each morning. 

At last he said, “Now let us take the straw 
away. ’ 9 

When they did this they found a tiny green 
shoot in each pot. “Your lilies are beginning 
to grow/’ said father. “Put them in the sun¬ 
shine, water them carefully, and when Easter 
comes in the spring, I think that they will have 
some beautiful white blossoms.” 

The little girls carefully watched their lilies, 
as they grew taller and taller, and as long, 
slender, green leaves came out on the stalks. 
They loved their plants and never forgot to 
water them. 

One morning in March Daisy found some¬ 
thing besides leaves on her lily. “0 Pansy, 
look, look!” she cried. “My lily is going to 
bloom. Father, mother, come and see!” she 
called eagerly. 

“Yes, dear,” said her mother, “that is a 
bud, and after a few days it will open.” 

“I wish mine, too, would bloom,” said Pansy. 

“Rose wants fower,” said little Rose. 


168 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“I think that buds will come on the other 
plants soon,” said father. 

Before Daisy’s bud opened a hud did come 
on Pansy’s plant and soon there was one on 
Rose’s, also. Oh, how happy the little girls 
were! 

Soon the buds opened and the children 
thought that they had never seen anything so 
beautiful as the blossoms. They were as white 
as snow and their hearts were gold like the 
sunshine. Their sweet fragrance filled the 
room. 

Other buds came until each plant had a num¬ 
ber of blossoms. Little Rose often stood by 
her plant, looking into the white flowers or 
softly touching the buds. 

“0 mother,” said Daisy, “can’t I take mine 
to Sunday school next Sunday? ’Tis Easter, 
you know, and I want the children to see it. ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ I want to take mine, too, ’ ’ said Pansy. ‘ 6 1 
know the children would like to see it, and it 
is so sweet they will like to smell it, too. May 
we take them, mother?” 

“Rose wants to take lily,” said the little 
girl. 

“Yes, children,” replied mother. “I think 
that is a very nice plan. ’ ’ 

So the next Sunday the sweet perfume of 
the lovely lilies mingled with the voices of the 
children, as they sang praise to our heavenly 
Father in this song: 



THE EASTER LILY 






















































































































THE EASTER LILIES 


169 


“Beautiful Easter morning 1 , 

Welcome again to earth, 

Come with your showers, 

Waking the flowers, 

Giving the world new birth. 

Chorus 

“Ring, ring, ring, 0 bells of Easter, 

Bells repeat the glad refrain, 

Sing, sing, sing, your hallelujahs, 

Christ is ris’n and lives again. 

“Beautiful Easter morning, 

Birds coming home to nest, 

Singing the story, 

Wonderful glory, 

Earth shall again be blessed. 

Chorus 

“Beautiful Easter morning, 

Blue in the skies above, 

Brooks gently flowing, 

Soft breezes blowing, 

Telling us God is love.” * 

Chorus 

* “Beautiful Easter Morning,” by P. W. Blackmer, is 
used by his permission. It is published by him in leaflet 
form. 


XXXIV 


Hugh’s and marjorie’s thanksgiving 

I T was two days before Thanksgiving and the 
rain was falling. Hugh stood at the win¬ 
dow and said: “Oh, I wish it would snow. 
Then when the cousins come we can have a 
ride in the sleigh and can play with our sleds.” 

His wish came true, for, in the night, the rain 
changed to snow. The feathery snowflakes 
clung to every bush and tree. They covered 
the ground with a soft white blanket, making 
the whole world look like fairyland. 

When mother went into the children’s room 
to kiss them awake, she said: “Wake up, dears. 
See what a beautiful surprise our heavenly 
Father has sent you!” 

The children sprang out of bed and ran to 
the windows. ‘ ‘ Snow! Snow! ’ ’ they cried glee¬ 
fully. “The cousins are coming to-day. Won’t 
they be glad! ’ ’ 

Mother started a little snow song and the 
children sang it with her: 

“This is the way the snow comes down, 

Softly, softly falling, 

So God giveth his snow like wool, 

170 


THANKSGIVING 


171 


Fair and white and beautiful. 

This is the way the snow comes down, 

Softly, softly falling.” * 

After breakfast the big sleigh was hitched 
up and father drove to the station. Soon the 
train pulled in and there were Uncle Frank and 
Aunt Louise, and their three little girls, Faith, 
Barbara and Edith. They had come a long way 
from their home in the South to spend Thanks¬ 
giving with grandfather and grandmother, in 
Maine. 

Hugh’s and Marjorie’s home was next door 
to grandfather’s house, so the little cousins 
could be together all the time. When the sleigh 
brought the travellers to the door, what a warm 
welcome they had! 

Then all the children went out of doors and 
such fun as they had, making snowballs and 
coasting down the hills! In the South, where 
the cousins lived, they never had snow, so it was 
great fun to have it now. 

When at last they came into the house mother 
taught them all a Thanksgiving song to sing the 
next day, as a surprise for grandfather and 
grandmother. After they had played games in 
the evening, five tired but happy little children 
went to bed. 

* From “Weather Song,” by Mrs. M. B. C. Slade. 
Found in “Songs and Games for Little Ones,” by Ger¬ 
trude Walker and Harriet S. Jenks. Used by permis¬ 
sion of The John Church Company, owners of the copy¬ 
right. 


m 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


On Thanksgiving morning the children ran 
to the window. 4 ‘ Goody, goody, the snow didn’t 
melt!” said Hugh. 

“I’m so glad,” said Marjorie. 

“Whenever you are glad to-day, remember 
to say ‘thank you,’ ” said mother, coming in 
to kiss the children. “Would you like to learn 
a ‘thank you’ verse? It is, ‘I will give thee 
thanks with my whole heart.’ ” 

“We’ll say it first for the snow,” said Hugh. 

At breakfast they all prayed together: 

“Father, as our heads we bow, 

Bless this food, we pray thee now. 

By thy hand must all be fed, 

Thank thee for our daily bread.” * 

Then Marjorie said, “We ’specially want to 
say ‘thank you’ to our heavenly Father to-day, 
don’t we, father?” 

“Yes,” said father, “because it is our ‘thank 
you’ day.” 

The big people and all the children, too, drove 
to church in the large sleigh. Then came din¬ 
ner at grandfather’s house, and such a deli¬ 
cious dinner as grandmother gave them! After 
dinner the children went out for another romp 
in the snow. 

When they came in Hugh said, “Tell us a 
story, mother, please.” 

“Oh, do, do,” cried the others. 

* Adapted by Laura Ella Cragin. 


THANKSGIVING 


173 


“Find some seats,” said mother, “and I’ll 
tell yon a Thanksgiving story. ’ ’ 

The five children gathered about her and 
mother began: “In a country far from here, 
every night, when the sun went down, a sweet 
bell rang from the church. Then all the people 
stopped their work and, bowing their heads, 
they thanked God. 

“One day, in a little town in that country, 
a father and mother were working out in the 
field when the Amgelus rang. (The Angelus was 
the bell that rang at sunset.) The father had 
been digging potatoes and the mother had been 
putting them into bags. 

“As the bell rang the father took off his hat 
and bowed his head. He thanked God for the 
sunshine and rain which had made the pota¬ 
toes grow. He thanked God because he was 
strong and well and could work for his wife 
and children. 

“The mother bent her head and clasped her 
hands, as she thanked God for her dear hus¬ 
band and her little children. She thanked him 
for giving them their food and clothes and 
home. 

“Just as the bell rang that evening a great 
painter, named Millet, came to the field. He 
saw the beautiful colors in the sky, as the sun 
went down. He saw the brown field. He saw 
the far-away spire of the little church, from 
which the music of the Angelus bell came. 


174 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“He saw the father and mother stop their 
work and bow their heads, as they thanked God. 
He saw the wheelbarrow on which were the 
bags of potatoes that they had been digging. 
He went back to his home and painted all that he 
had seen. As he painted he thought, ‘When 
people see my picture, I hope that they, too, 
will stop and thank God.’ 

“Here is the picture, children, which Millet 
painted,’ ’ said mother, as she finished the story. 

The children found the father and mother, 
the wheelbarrow and the little church spire. 
Then mother said to grandfather and grand¬ 
mother, “The children have a surprise for 
you. ’ ’ 

And while the big people listened, the chil¬ 
dren sang: 


“Let us thank our Father, 
Little children dear, 

For the gifts he sends us, 
Through the happy year; 
For the fruits all gathered, 
And the golden grain, 

We will praise and love him, 
Thank him once again.” * 

* By Laura Ella Cragin. 


XXXV 


sallie ’s cookies 

O NCE there was a little girl whose name 
was Sarah, but every one called her Sal- 
lie. She lived in a big house out in the country 
which had a large yard where she used to play. 
She had many pets—rabbits and chickens, cats 
and dogs. 

But the pet she liked best of all was a little 
black pony which her father had given her. 
His name was Jocko and he was gentle and kind. 
He drew the little cart in which Sallie rode 
and he trotted along quite fast. 

Sallie took her little friends to ride and they 
had happy times together. She often drove her 
father to the station where he took his train, 
and sometimes she met him when he came home 
at night. 

One day, when the little girl came back from a 
ride, mother said, “ Sallie, to-morrow is fa¬ 
ther’s birthday.” 

“0 mother, I want to give him a nice pres¬ 
ent, 9 9 said Sallie. 4 ‘ I love him so much and he 
gave me my pony and so many things.” 

“What would you like to give him?” asked 
her mother. 


175 


176 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“I wish I could make something for him all 
myself,” said Sallie. “Oh, I know. I’ll make 
some cookies, if you will show me how.” 

‘ ‘ That will be very nice, ’ ’ said mother. “I’m 
sure that father will be pleased with some cook¬ 
ies that you have made. But if you want to 
do it all yourself, you’d better go to the store 
and buy some flour. ’ ’ 

So Sallie drove her little black pony to the 
store. “I want to buy some flour,” she said 
to the grocer, “to make my father some cookies. 
To-morrow is his birthday and I want to give 
him something I’ve made all myself.” 

“Well, if you want to do it all yourself,” 
said the grocer, “you’d better go to the miller 
and buy your flour, for I get it from him. ’ ’ 

So Sallie drove Jocko to the mill. “Please 
give me some flour,” she said to the miller, “for 
I want to make my father some cookies. To¬ 
morrow is his birthday and I want to give him 
something I’ve made all myself.” 

“Well,” said the miller, “if you want to do 
it all yourself, you’d better go to the farmer 
and ask him for some wheat, for I couldn’t 
make flour without wheat.” 

So Sallie drove on to the farmer and said 
to him: “Please, Mr. Farmer, will you give me 
some wheat. Then the miller will grind it into 
flour and I can make my father some cookies. 
He has a birthday to-morrow and I want to give 
him something I’ve made all myself.” 


SALLIE’S COOKIES 


177 


“Well, I can give you the wheat,” said the 
farmer, “hut neither you nor I alone can make 
the wheat. I plough the field and scatter the 
seed, but if the sun did not shine and the rain 
did not fall, the seed would not grow.” 

The farmer gave Sallie some wheat and she 
paid him for it. Then she put it in her little 
cart and drove to the mill. There the miller 
ground the wheat into flour and Sallie paid him 
for his work. Then she drove home and showed 
the flour to her mother. 

The next day mother showed her how to mix 
the butter and sugar, and how to put in the flour 
and other things. Then Sallie rolled out the 
dough and cut out the cookies. She sprinkled 
sugar over them and put them in the oven to 
bake. When they were a nice light brown she 
took them out of the oven. 

That night, when father had finished dinner, 
Sallie said, “I have a birthday surprise for 
you, father.” 

“What is it, my little girl?” asked her 
father. 

“Shut your eyes,” said Sallie, “and open 
your mouth.” 

WTien father did this Sallie put a piece of 
cooky in his mouth. “Now eat it, father,” she 
said. 

As father ate the cooky Sallie asked, “How 
do you like it, father? I made the cookies all 
myself. There are some more for you.” 


178 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“Did you make them for me, Sallie? Why, 
that is a beautiful surprise! Taste them, 
mother, and see how good they are. Did you 
really make them all yourself, my little girlT 
I thank you very much. ’ ’ 

“Well, father, I did all I could, but you’ll 
have to thank other people, too. You must 
thank mother, for she showed me how to make 
them. Then you must thank the miller, for he 
ground the wheat into flour for me. 

“Then you must thank the farmer, for he 
sold me the wheat. He ploughed the field and 
scattered the seed, and cut down the wheat when 
it was grown. And then you must thank our 
heavenly Father, for he sent the sunshine and 
the rain. So you see, father, I couldn’t do it 
all myself.” 

“No, dear,” said father, “we all help each 
other when we work, and our heavenly Father 
helps every one. He gives us many gifts.” 

“That is what our song says,” said Sallie, 
“that we are learning for Thanksgiving Day. 
Shall I sing it for you, father?” 

“I should like very much to hear it,” said 
her father. 

So Sallie sang: 

“We plow the fields and scatter 
The good seed o’er the land, 

But it is fed and watered 
By God’s almighty hand. 


SALLIE’S COOKIES 179 

“He sends the snow in winter, 

The warmth to swell the grain, 

The breezes and the sunshine, 

And sweet refreshing rain. 

“All good gifts that surround us 
Are sent from heaven above, 

Then praise the Lord, 0 praise the Lord, 

Give thanks for all his love.” * 

* From “Songs for Little Children,” by Eleanor Smith. 
Used by permission of Milton Bradley Company and 
Thomas Charles Company, owners of the copyright. 


XXXVI 


A LITTLE boy’s DREAM 

O NE day Freddy waked up early in the 
morning and was very hungry. He 
thought, “I’ll get dressed as fast as I can and 
go down and get something to eat.” 

He quickly put on his clothes and went down¬ 
stairs, but there was no one there. “Perhaps 
I’m too early,” he thought, “and Mary is still 
asleep. Well, I’ll go into the pantry and get 
some bread and butter.” 

He opened the pantry door, but there wasn’t 
anything there! Every shelf was quite bare. 
“Why, where is all the food?” said the little 
boy. 

Then he thought, “I will go down in the 
cellar and find some apples.” But when he 
reached the place where the barrels had been 
there wasn’t one there. “Who can have taken 
them away?” said Freddy. 

Now he remembered how good some milk 
would taste and he said, “Perhaps John is out 
in the barn and I’ll ask him to give me a cup 
of milk when he milks the cow.” 

He went out to the barn, but he couldn’t find 
180 


A LITTLE BOY’S DREAM 


181 


John. The moolly cow wasn’t there either. 
‘‘Where can she be?” said the little boy. 

Back into the house he went and up to his 
mother’s room. But no one was there. Now 
he began to cry. “Oh, I can’t get along with¬ 
out anything to eat and drink, and without my 
mother and father, ’ ’ he sobbed. Then he called, 
“Mother! mother!” 

“Yes, dear little son, what is it?” said his 
mother’s voice. 

The little boy rubbed his eyes and looked 
around and where do you think he was ? Right 
in his warm little bed, and his dear mother was 
bending over him. “Why, darling, what is the 
matter?” she asked. 

“0 mother, I thought you and father had 
gone away,” said Freddy, “and I couldn’t find 
you, and I couldn’t find anything to eat or to 
drink. ’ ’ 

“It was a dream, I think, dear, for mother 
is right here ready to take care of her own lit¬ 
tle son. Get up now and dress yourself, and 
you shall have a nice breakfast.” 

When the little boy came downstairs he ran 
out into the kitchen. “0 Mary, I’m glad you 
are here getting breakfast,” he said. Then 
he told her of his dream. He peeped into the 
pantry. “I’m glad these shelves aren’t really 
empty, as I thought they were.” 

When he sat down to breakfast he bowed his 
head, as father thanked God for the food. Then 


182 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


Freddy said, “Pm glad we have some food, 
father, and that the pantry shelves aren’t bare 
and the apple barrels gone, as I dreamed.” 

“Yes, that would have been hard for all of 
us,” said his father. 

A nice rosy apple was on Freddy’s plate and 
after he had eaten it, Mary brought him a dish 
of corn flakes. “I want to give some to Teddy, 
mother,” said the little boy. 

“Well, you may,” said mother. “Mary will 
give you your bear. ’ ’ 

When Mary had brought it Freddy fed 
Teddy. “He likes it, mother,” said the little 
boy. 

“Do you know where the corn flakes came 
from, little son!” asked his mother. 

“No, mother,” he answered. 

“The farmer planted the seed in the spring,” 
said mother, “and God sent the sunshine and 
the rain to help the corn to grow. In the fall 
the tall stalks were cut down. 

“Then the miller ground the corn from which 
the flakes were made for my little boy’s break¬ 
fast. So you see, dear, that we must thank 
the farmer and the miller and our heavenly 
Father.” 

“And moolly cow for the cream,” said the 
little boy, as his mother poured it over his 
cornflakes. 

“Yes, and our heavenly Father for making 
the grass grow, so that the cow should have her 



FEEDING TEDDY 




















































« 






























































# 







I 










A LITTLE BOY’S DREAM 


183 


food, and who sent the rain, so that she should 
have water to drink.” 

“ Mother, God takes care of moolly cow, just 
as he takes care of me, doesn’t he?” said 
Freddy. 

“Yes, God takes care of all the animals,” re¬ 
plied his mother. 

“Does he take care of everybody, of big peo¬ 
ple and children?” asked the little hoy. 

“Yes, dear, he takes care of every one. 
When father goes to work God takes care of 
him. When we all sleep at night God watches 
over us and keeps us safe. He gives us food 
and drink, clothes to wear and a nice home in 
which to live,” said mother. 

“I’m very glad God takes care of us,” said 
the little hoy. “He is very good to us, isn’t 
he, mother?” 


XXXVII 


THE widow’s MITE 

T HE mother was very poor. When the fa¬ 
ther died she did not know what to do. 
She knew that she must earn money to buy 
food for her little children and for herself. She 
went out to look for work. At last she found 
something to do. She worked hard all day and 
earned a little money. 

Her little boy helped at home. He took care 
of his baby sister. He kept the little house 
clean. When his mother came home at night 
he said: i 1 Rest now, dear mother. I know that 
you are tired. I will get supper.” 

The mother kissed her dear little boy. ‘ 1 What 
should I do without you?” she said. “You are 
a comfort to me, my dear little son.” 

When the dishes were cleared away and the 
baby was put to bed the mother told her little 
boy stories. She told him of Noah whom God 
kept safe in the ark when the rain came. 

She told him of the baby Moses whose mother 
made him a cradle boat, and of the good prin¬ 
cess whom God sent to find the baby. She told 
him of the people whom the wicked king tried 
184 



THE WIDOW’S MITE 


185 


to take back to Egypt and of whom God took 
care by making a path through the sea for 
them. 

“0 mother,’’ said the little boy, “how many 
people God took care of! Does he take care 
of us, too?” 

“Yes, my little son,” answered the mother. 
“When your father died I didn’t know what 
I should do. But God helped me to find work 
so that I could buy food for us. Every day I 
have taken a little piece of the money I earned 
to the church and given it to God. I wanted 
to thank him for helping us.” 

“Does the money thank him!” asked the little 
boy. 

“Yes, I think that it shows God that I am 
thankful. The money helps to keep the great 
church beautiful and that is God’s house, you 
know. ’ ’ 

“When I get bigger I want to give God some¬ 
thing, mother,” said the little boy. 

“Well, I hope that you will do so, my boy,” 
his mother answered. “Every time that you 
earn any money I hope that you will give 
some of it to God. But giving money isn’t 
the only way to thank him, dear. God wants 
us to thank him in words. When you pray 
to him you can thank him, and when you sing 
our beautiful songs you can thank him, too. 

“Then you can thank him by being loving 
to others. When you take care of baby sister 


186 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


and do helpful things for mother, that is an¬ 
other way in which you can thank God for 
being so good to us.” 

The next morning the little boy dressed him¬ 
self and then he dressed his baby sister. After 
this he helped his mother get the breakfast. 
Then his mother started away to her work. 

When the little boy kissed her good-bye, he 
said: “I’m going to thank God all day because 
he gave me such a dear mother. I’ll be just as 
good as I can be.” 

As the mother went to her work she said this 
little prayer in her heart, “Thank thee, God, 
for my dear little son and for my baby girl.” 

The mother worked hard all day. She was 
happy as she worked, for she kept thinking of 
her dear little boy who loved her and who was 
so good and helpful. As she came home at 
night she thought again of her little son. “I 
want to give something to God,” she thought, 

‘ ‘ to show how much I thank him. ’ ’ 

After she bought some food for their supper 
she had two pieces of money left. They were 
very small, worth less than one of our pennies. 
But they were all the money the mother had. 

“I will give them to God,” she said. “If 
I give him all the money I have he will know 
how much I thank him for my darling baby and 
for my precious little son who is such a com¬ 
fort to me.” 

So the mother went to the beautiful church. 


THE WIDOW’S MITE 


187 


Some chests, or boxes, were there. Each of 
them looked something like a trumpet. Into 
them the people dropped the money they wished 
to give to God. Rich men gave many pieces of 
silver, others gave pieces of copper like our 
pennies. 

One after another the people dropped in their 
money. The mother stepped quietly up to the 
box. She dropped in her two little pieces of 
money. She thought that no one saw her. 

But Jesus was standing near with some of his 
disciples. He had been talking to the people 
around him. He had been telling them beauti¬ 
ful stories. Then he told them that God wanted 
them to be more loving. 

“You must love God,” he said, “and you 
must love your neighbours” (that is, the peo¬ 
ple who live near you). “That is the way to 
please God.” 

Then for a while Jesus watched the people 
who brought gifts to God and put them in the 
box. He saw the rich people put' in their silver 
pieces. He knew that they had much more 
money. They did not need that which they gave 
to God. 

Then he saw the poor mother come and put 
in her two little pieces of money. Jesus was 
happy when he saw her gift. He called his dis¬ 
ciples to him and said, “This poor woman has 
given more than all the others.” 

The disciples were surprised at Jesus’ words. 


188 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


They had seen how much the rich men gave 
and what little pieces of money the mother 
brought. But Jesus said, “The rich men have 
much more money than they gave, but this poor 
woman gave all that she had.” 

Jesus was glad that the mother had thanked 
God by bringing her gift to his church. 


XXXVHI 


MARY AND THE BABY JESIJS 

TN a small town called Nazareth there lived 
a little girl. Her name was Mary. She was 
a good child, gentle and loving. She was al¬ 
ways ready to help her mother and the others 
in her home. 

One of the ways in which she helped was to 
bring the water that was needed. There was 
no water in the house where she lived, so each 
day she went to the fountain and brought home 
a jar filled with water. 

When Mary was a little girl her father and 
mother told her stories from the Bible, which 
she always liked to hear. As she grew older 
she herself read these stories from God’s Book. 
She read that some day our heavenly Father 
would send a Child to the earth who would help 
all the world. 

When Mary was a young woman she often 
thought about this Child and she wondered 
when he would come. One day an angel came 
to her and told her that God would send her 
a Baby, and that he would be the Child who 
189 


190 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


would help the world. Mary was so surprised 
to learn that this wonderful Child was to come 
to her. 

She was very happy and, as she went about 
her work, she kept thinking of the dear Baby 
who was to come to her. And because her 
heart was so full of joy she sang a glad song, 
praising God for his goodness to her. 

Some time after this Joseph, who was Mary’s 
husband, had to take a long journey to a little 
town called Bethlehem. Mary went with him. 
She rode on a donkey, while Joseph walked by 
her side. As the roads were rough they had 
to go slowly. Mary was very tired when they 
reached Bethlehem and she wanted to rest. 

But many other people had come to this little 
town and had filled it quite full. So when 
Joseph tried to get a room he could not find 
one. He went to the inn, or hotel, and then 
from house to house, but he could not find even 
a bed. 

He was afraid that Mary would be ill if she 
stayed out of doors all night. So he went back 
to the inn and there the innkeeper said, “I 
am sorry that I have no bed to give you, but 
you may go out to the stable, if you choose. It 
will be warmer there than out of doors . 9 9 

So Mary and Joseph went to the stable, where 
the cows and sheep were. Mary was glad to 
rest even on a bed of hay. In the night the 
Christ-child came to her and she was so happy 


MARY AND THE BABY JESUS 191 

that she forgot how cold and tired she had 
been. 

She wrapped her Baby in long bands of cloth, 
called swaddling clothes. She then laid him 
on the hay in the manger. 

After a time Mary heard steps and, looking 
up, she saw some shepherds coming toward her. 
They wore heavy cloaks of fur. As they 
reached her they said: * 4 Where is the Child? 
An angel told us that Christ is born. Then 
the whole sky was filled with other angels who 
sang of the joy that is come to the world.” 

“An angel told me, too, that my Baby would 
bring help to all the world, ’’ said Mary. i 1 Here 
is the wonderful Child.” 

And she pointed to “the little Lord Jesus 
asleep on the hay.” 

The shepherds knelt down and worshipped 
him. Then they said, “We shall tell every one 
we meet that Christ, the Lord, is really born.” 

And with shining faces they went back to their 
sheep. Mary was very happy as she watched 
her little Child. 

After a few days many of the people who 
had come to Bethlehem went back to their 
homes. Then Joseph found a house to which 
he could take Mary and the Baby. They were 
now more comfortable. Mary loved to watch 
the Baby Jesus as he lay in her arms and smiled 
up into her face. 

One day she heard a noise in the street. She 


192 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


looked out of the window and saw three tall, 
white camels stopping outside the house. The 
men who rode the camels made them kneel. 
Then they got off and came into the house. 
They looked so strange to Mary. She had never 
seen any men who looked just like them, or who 
were dressed as they were. 

The men were very wise and had come from 
far-away lands to find the wonderful Child. As 
they came toward Mary they asked: 1 4 Where is 
the Child who is to do great things for the 
world? We saw his star in the east and are 
come to worship him. ’ 9 

4 ‘Here is the wonderful Child ,’ 9 said Mary. 

And the Wise Men knelt before him. Then 
they went back to their camels and brought in 
rich gifts—gold and sweet-smelling spices, such 
as were given to kings. These gifts they gave 
to the Christ-child. Then they mounted their 
camels and rode away. 

Mary kept thinking of all these things. She 
thought of the angel who had told her that this 
Baby would come to her. She thought of what 
the shepherds had told her, that an angel had 
brought the good news to them and that the sky 
was filled with angels who sang of the joy that 
had come to the world. 

Then she thought of the Wise Men who had 
travelled such a long, long way to see the Baby. 
And she thanked our heavenly Father for giv- 


MARY AND THE BABY JESUS 193 


ing her this wonderful Child who was to bring 
joy and love to the whole world. 

“Once within a lowly stable, 

Where the sheep and oxen lay, 

A loving mother laid her baby, 

In a manger filled with hay. 

Mary was the mother there, 

And the Christ that baby fair. 

“God sent us this loving baby 
From his home in heaven above. 

He came down to show all people 
How to help and how to love. 

This is why the angels bright, 

Sang for joy that Christmas night.” * 

* “Christmas Night,” in “Song Stories for the Sunday 
School,” by Patty S. and Mildred J. Hill. By permission 
of Clayton F. Summy Company, owners of the copyright. 


XXXIX 


A CHRISTMAS VISIT 

G RANDPA and grandma sat before the 
pleasant fire in the library, talking to¬ 
gether. “Christmas is almost here, isn’t it?” 
said grandpa. 

“Yes,” grandma answered, “and I have a 
plan for this year. I want to have the children 
spend Christmas Eve with ns. Do you think 
that their mother would let us have them ? She 
and their father could come to us for Christ¬ 
mas day.” 

“Well, that would be nice,” said grandpa. 
‘ ‘ I hope that their mother will let them come. ’’ 
The next day grandma went to the children’s 
home. When they saw her coming the boys ran 
to open the door and each gave her a regular 
bear’s hug. 

“Where is your mother, boys?” she asked. 
“She’s upstairs,” said Ernest, the older of 
the two. “Will you go up?” 

“Yes, I’ll find her,” said grandma, climbing 
the stairs. “And I want to see her alone for 
a few moments.” 

“I have a favour to ask of you, dear,” she 
194 


A CHRISTMAS VISIT 195 

said to mother, who was rocking little two year 
old Carol. 

“What is it?” asked mother. 

6 6 Can you spare us the children for the night 
before Christmas?” asked grandma. “Their 
grandfather and I want to have them all to 
ourselves for that one night. We should like to 
have you and their father come over on Christ¬ 
mas day.” 

“Why, yes, indeed, they may go to you,” said 
mother. “I know that they would enjoy it, and 
their father and I will spare them for one 
night.” 

When the boys heard of grandma’s plan they 
danced up and down. Little Carol, too, clapped 
her hands and danced about the room. 4 ‘ Goody, 
goody, goody! ’’ they all cried. 6 6 What fun that 
will be! ” 

As grandpa and grandma lived near, the chil¬ 
dren could go there often. Now when they vis¬ 
ited her, grandma helped the boys to make some 
of their Christmas gifts. Malcolm wove a mat 
of blue and gold, and she showed him how to 
line it with gold paper and make it into a 
pretty tray to stand on mother’s dresser. 

Then grandma helped Ernest make his moth¬ 
er’s gift. She drew a border of Christmas bells 
on a card and he gilded these neatly. Then 
she showed him how to cut out an oblong piece 
in the centre, and behind this he fastened an¬ 
other card on which he had pasted a pretty 


196 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


picture of angels ringing bells.* He added bows 
of red ribbon at the top and a ribbon to hang 
the picture. 

Then grandma helped little Carol to paste 
some parquetry circles on a little card about a 
tiny picture of the Baby Jesus. This was a gift 
for father, and for mother she pasted some little 
gold stars on a card on which grandma put a 
calendar. 

Then the boys made chains of scarlet and 
gold and of white and gold paper for the tree. 
Even little Carol pasted a few of these circles. 
Grandpa helped Malcolm make a little box for 
his father. He found some boards and after 
he had sawed them the right size, he let Mal¬ 
colm hammer in the nails that fastened them 
together. 

4 1 There,’’ said grandpa, when the little box 
was finished, “Pm sure that your father will 
like to keep his nails in that box. I heard him 
say that he wished he had a place for them.’ 9 

“Won’t he be surprised that I made it, 
grandpa f ’ 9 said Malcolm. 

“ Yes, Pm sure that he will. He doesn’t know 
what a nice little carpenter you are. ’ ’ 

Ernest made a match scratcher for father. 
He cut out a little oblong board, smoothed it 
and rounded the edges. Then he bored a hole 
in one end by which it could be hung, and glued 
a piece of sand-paper on one side of it. 

* “Christmas Chimes,” by Blashfield. 


A CHRISTMAS VISIT 


197 


Two days before Christmas the snow came. 
Oh, how happy the children were! They played 
with their sleds, made snow balls and had a 
merry time together. 

Christmas Eve the children went to grand¬ 
pa’s home, the boys pulling little Carol on her 
sled. They carried gifts, wrapped in white pa¬ 
per and tied with bright red ribbon, for grandpa 
and grandma. 

In the windows of grandpa’s house hung 
wreaths of holly, and ropes of green were 
twined about the columns of the porch. When 
the boys rang the bell both grandpa and 
grandma came to the door. 

i ‘ Merry Christmas, grandpa! Merry Christ¬ 
mas, grandma!” cried the children. 

“You blessed children,” said grandma, put¬ 
ting her arms about the boys. “A very merry 
Christmas to you.” 

Grandpa lifted little Carol in his arms and 
kissed her. Then he said, “Merry Christmas, 
boys.” 

After supper the children went up into 
grandma’s room which was all trimmed with 
wreaths and ropes of green. After they were 
undressed the boys hung their own and little 
Carol’s stockings by the chimney where Santa 
Claus could find them. 

Then they knelt down by grandma and said 
their prayers. The boys thanked our heavenly 


198 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


Father for Christmas, and little Carol lisped, 
4 ‘Bess Tismas.” 

Early the next morning the hoys ran to the 
chimney and there were the stockings full of 
gifts. Each boy had a big orange, white grapes, 
nuts, a candy cane, pencils, tops, marbles and 
a whistle. Little Carol had a woolly dog, a 
candy cane and a picture hook which would not 
tear. 

The boys blew so hard on their whistles that 
grandma and grandpa wakened and called out, 
“Merry Christmas, children.” 

“Merry Christmas!” said the boys, running 
to them. ‘ ‘ See what Santa Claus brought us . 9 9 

After breakfast grandpa said, “Would you 
boys like to trim the tree to surprise your fa¬ 
ther and mother!” 

“Oh, yes, yes!” they cried, “that will be 
such fun.” 

So grandpa let them hang the chains which 
they had made on the branches. Then the boys 
hung balls of red, gold, blue and pink, and 
many other ornaments. Grandma put some of 
the gifts on the tree and piled others under¬ 
neath it on the table. 

Grandpa put on the candles and when all was 
finished Ernest said: “It’s the prettiest tree 
I’ve ever seen. Won’t father and mother be 
pleased! ’ ’ 

Father and mother came to dinner, and oh, 
such a good dinner as it was! There were tur- 



CHRISTMAS JOYS 















A CHRISTMAS VISIT 


199 


key and cranberry sauce, vegetables, salad, pud¬ 
ding and ice cream. After dinner they had the 
tree, and father and mother were so pleased 
when they heard that the children had helped 
to trim it. 

“It’s a beautiful surprise/’ they said. 

They were delighted with their gifts, too. 
“Did you make this tray for me, Malcolmf” 
asked mother. 

“Yes, I wove it and pasted it,” he answered. 

“It is beautifully done and I thank you so 
much,” said mother. “What a pretty picture 
this is, Ernest, and how lovely the golden bells 
are! I am so pleased with it. ’’ 

“This box is just what I wanted, son,” said 
father to Malcolm. Then he said, ‘ * I shall often 
use this match scratcher, Ernest. Thank you 
for it.” 

The children were delighted with their gifts. 
Little Carol had a Teddy bear and rocking 
horses on which she liked to ride, and the boys 
had books, a tool chest and many other things. 

When grandpa and grandma had looked at 
the gifts the children and father and mother 
gave them, and the children had played for a 
time with their toys Malcolm said, “Now, fa¬ 
ther, tell us a story, please.” 

“Well, I will,” said father. 

They all sat about the fire, and mother held 
little Carol on her lap, while father told them 
of the little Baby who came to his mother on 


200 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


the first Christmas day, and who brought love 
and joy to the world. 

“And to-day we love each other/’ said fa¬ 
ther, “and give each other gifts because the 
Christ-child taught us how to be loving/ ’ 

“Pm glad the Baby came, father/’ said 
Malcolm. 

“And Pm glad we could have Christmas 
here,” said Ernest. “It has been such fun 
to be with grandpa and grandma.” 


XL 


CHRISTMAS ALL THE YEAR 

O MOTHER, I wish that Christmas wasn’t 
over,” said Elizabeth. 

“So do I,” said Richard. 

‘‘ Well, my dear little people, perhaps we can 
have Christmas every day,” replied their 
mother. 

“0 mother, can we?” cried the children. 
“What makes Christmas such a happy day?” 
asked their mother. 

“We had onr presents,” answered Richard, 
“and our tree, and father was at home, and 
grandfather and grandmother came over for 
dinner . 9 9 

“Yes, and we gave a Christmas tree to the 
poor children,” said Elizabeth, “and we gave 
presents to you and father and all the others. 
Oh, how could we do all that except on Christ¬ 
mas?” 

“Well, let us see,” said mother. “Richard 
said that you had presents. I wonder if there 
are any presents for you except on Christmas 
day.” 


201 


202 


SUNDAY STORY HOUR 


“We have presents on onr birthdays, too,” 
-said Richard. 

“Yes, but I mean to-day and every day,” 
replied his mother. 4 4 Sometimes we forget even 
to think of the presents we have every day. 
Shut your eyes, children, for a moment. Would 
you like to have them shut always? Now what 
beautiful gift has our heavenly Father given 
us?” 

44 Our eyes, mother. I believe that ’s the best 
thing we have,” said Elizabeth. 

4 4 Look out of doors, children, and see what 
other gifts you have,” said their mother. 

4 4 Snow, mother, which is so fine for coast¬ 
ing,” said Richard. 

44 Yes, and the hills,” said Elizabeth, 44 or we 
couldn’t coast.” 

44 And look around indoors,” said mother. 
44 Are there any gifts here?” 

4 4 Why, yes, mother, our books and toys, and 
—why, you, mother, you’re the best of all,” 
cried Richard, as he gave her a hug. 

44 Yes, dear, we have each other,” replied 
his mother. 4 4 Then we must not forget our ears, 
with which we hear, our hands and feet, and 
all the other parts of our wonderful bodies 
which our heavenly Father has given us. 

4 4 Now let us think of other things which 
made Christmas happy. Richard said that fa¬ 
ther was at home. We should like him with us 
all the time. But he is at home every morn- 


CHRISTMAS ALL THE YEAR 203 


ing and night and all day Sundays, so we have 
that nice part of Christmas quite often. 

“And grandfather and grandmother will 
come over for dinner soon again, so we won’t 
have to wait until next Christmas for that 
pleasure. 

“Then let us think of what Elizabeth said 
made us happy. We did enjoy giving the tree 
to the poor children. How happy they were! 
We cannot give another tree until next Christ¬ 
mas, but can we not do something to make 
others happy? You know, Richard, there is 
that lame boy in the little house down the road. 
Can you do anything for him?” 

Richard thought for a moment and then he 
said: “Mother, I believe he’d like a ride on my 
sled. I’ll go and get him this very afternoon.” 

“Elizabeth, you know that sick woman on 
Maine Street,” said mother. “Can you not do 
something for her?” 

“May I take her a glass of jelly, mother?” 
replied Elizabeth. “You know I helped you 
make it and you said that part of it might be 
mine. ’ ’ 

“Yes, dear, I shall be glad to have you take 
it to her, ’ ’ said her mother. ‘ ‘ Christmas means 
giving, you know, children, and I think that if 
we keep our eyes and ears open, and our hands 
and feet ready to help, we can give a present to 
some one every day. 

‘ ‘ Sometimes a loving look or a pleasant smile, 


204 SUNDAY STORY HOUR 

or a bright ‘good-morning’ is the nicest kind of 
a gift. 

‘ ‘ But, after all, neither you nor Richard told 
mother the very best part of Christmas. Can¬ 
not you think what it is?” 

‘‘ 0 mother, the Christ-child, ’’ said Elizabeth. 
“Yes, we keep this beautiful day to remem¬ 
ber him. But though only one day is his birth¬ 
day, we can think of him and love him and try 
to be as loving as he was, every day. So you 
see we can really have Christmas all the year.’ 9 
“Mother, every night let’s tell how we kept 
Christmas that day,” said Richard. 

“Yes,” said Elizabeth, “we can remember 
what gifts we had and what we gave away.’ 9 
“We’ll ask father to do it, too,” said Rich¬ 
ard, “and all of us can really have Christmas 
every day in the year. Won’t that be fun!” 




















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